The 29-year-old midfielder has been named as a potential January transfer target for his father, former US national team head coach Bob Bradley, at Swansea City.
Toronto FC head coach Greg Vanney has dismissed speculation that club captain Michael Bradley could be persuade to join his father at Swansea City during the January transfer window.
With Bob Bradley replacing Francesco Guidolin as Swansea’s new manager earlier this month, rumours have since been rife that the former US national team boss could try to make his son one of his first signings at the Liberty Stadium [h/t Sports Illustrated].
However, speaking to ExtraTime Radio on Thursday, Vanney was quick to stress that nobody from the Premier League club has been in contact with TFC about a possible deal for the 29-year-old midfielder.
“No, no calls from Swansea,” said Vanney, who knows the elder Bradley well from his time in MLS and the US setup. “I think Bob has got his work cut out for him as it is, and I know from our side we’re all rooting for him. It’s a fantastic opportunity that he deserves.
“There’ve been no calls though for any of our guys – Michael or anyone else on our roster – but as a fan and a guy who knows Bob well, I wish him well and I’m really excited to see how he does.”
Along with Swansea, recent reports have also linked the younger Bradley with a return to Serie A after he previously enjoyed successful spells with Chievo and Roma, respectively, before returning to MLS in January 2014 to join Toronto.
The former MetroStars ace, who also played for Dutch club Heerenveen, German side Borussia Monchengladbach and Aston Villa on loan during his time in Europe, has been named as a potential target for both AC Milan and Bologna this coming winter [h/t Sports Illustrated], but Vanney believes that his skipper remains 100 percent committed to TFC for the foreseeable future.
“I can say from our side, for all of our guys, whether it’s Jozy Altidore or Michael, we get contacted by clubs from around the world occasionally and I think that’s normal,” Vanney added to ExtraTime Radio. “That’s the nature of the business. It’s more frequent in times when the [transfer] windows are open and less so when windows are closed.
“In this particular situation, to my knowledge, we haven’t ever been contacted directly by these clubs. But I think Michael’s always a guy, especially these days when he’s playing well, that’s going to have attention and I think it’s flattering for him.
“But I think I can speak for Michael that his number one concern and priority right now is that we’re in our best form and make a run for the championship. Who knows what will happen in the future. The window’s closed right now and we love Michael and have no intent to see him go. But that’s for another day, and for me right now it’s all just a lot of media talk.”
Bradley, who took over from Clint Dempsey as USA captain in the summer of 2015, has made 22 MLS appearances for Toronto this season, recording one goal and four assists while mostly playing in a deep-lying midfield role.
His side currently sit third in the Eastern Conference on 49 points with two regular season games remaining and have already secured their second straight trip to the playoffs after making their first-ever postseason appearance last term.
For the moment, the 123-times capped American is fully focused on leading the team’s bid for a maiden MLS Cup title, but he did reveal earlier this week that he plans to hold talks with the front office about his future at the end of the campaign.
“That’s football — there’s always things flying around,” Bradley told MLSSoccer.com ahead of the USA’s 1-1 friendly draw with New Zealand on Tuesday night when asked about the speculation surrounding his future. “November is obviously on everybody’s mind. And then there will be time as always at the end of the season to figure out to sit down and talk — what went well, what didn’t — and find the right way forward.”
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