De Vries Asks For Long-Term Contract

Dorus De Vries says he's waiting for the club to respond to his and his agent's contract proposal as he continues discussions over a new deal at the Liberty Stadium.

Our number 1 goalkeeper, and one of our most important first team players, says if he is going to stay beyond June 2011 - when his current contract expires - then it has to be for the long term.

The Dutchman has given us a boost by saying he wants to get a deal done, but whether or not his wage demands will cause problems with the board coming to an agreement remains to be seen for now.

De Vries said:

'The reason I started negotiations is because my initial thought is to get a deal done, otherwise I wouldn't even be negotiating,'

'We think we've made a reasonable offer and it's up to the club to decide whether they say yes or no.

'If I'm going to stay, I want to stay for the long term. Three or four years, I don't mind.

'I've started negotiations because, like I said, I want to get a deal done, but it's all down to one thing — how the club responds to my proposal.'

'I'm eligible to talk to other clubs in January, but I'm not focused on that,'

'I'm professional, and that means you always try to focus on the next game coming. I have experience of going into the last year of a contract when people are asking about your situation.

'It's happened to me a few times and I like to stay really positive and really quiet about it.

'You're talking about your future so there are big, big decisions to be made.

'It's not only me, it's the family as well, and people seem to underestimate that a little bit.'

De Vries also said that he has ambitions to play in the Premier League, but he hopes he can do that with the Swans:

'I've enjoyed my time since I've been playing here,'

'I enjoy working with the gaffer and I enjoy working with my goalkeeping coach Adrian Tucker — I've definitely progressed under him.

'But I've got ambitions to go up and test myself at a higher level.

'Let's hope I can get there with Swansea City and we can progress together, like we have been doing over the past few seasons.'

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