Former Lincoln City striker Liam Cullen is reportedly closing in on a move to Leicester City, where he would be reunited with former Swansea City boss Russell Martin.
The Foxes are in advanced talks with Swansea City over a permanent deal for the Wales international, who has two years remaining on his contract at the Swansea.com Stadium.
Leicester are preparing for their first season in League One after suffering relegation from the Championship, with Martin appointed to oversee their attempted recovery. He knows Cullen well from their time together in South Wales, having managed the forward during his two seasons in charge of Swansea between 2021 and 2023.
Cullen came through Swansea’s academy after joining the club at the age of eight. He made his senior debut against Crystal Palace in the League Cup in August 2018, before scoring his first goal in a dramatic 4-1 victory over Reading on the final day of the extended 2019/20 campaign.
That result secured Swansea a place in the Championship play-offs, but Cullen had to remain patient for regular first-team football. His search for minutes eventually brought him to Sincil Bank in January 2022, when Michael Appleton added him to a Lincoln City squad that also included fellow loanees Morgan Whittaker and Brooke Norton-Cuffy.
Cullen featured 20 times for the Imps in all competitions, scoring once in a 1-1 draw away at Wycombe Wanderers. He was lively, willing and clearly committed to the cause, but his time with us never really caught fire.
There were occasions when he struggled to receive the sort of service a striker needs, although he also failed to make the most of some of the chances that did come his way. Given that Lincoln also had creative players such as Whittaker and Ted Bishop available, it felt like a loan spell that should have produced more than it ultimately did.
Cullen returned to Swansea at the end of the campaign and gradually became a more important member of their first-team squad. He scored nine times during Martin’s final season at the club and later finished as Swansea’s leading scorer in 2024/25, finding the net 12 times despite often being asked to operate in a deeper position.
The 27-year-old has now made 207 appearances for his boyhood club, scoring 37 goals across all competitions. He has also established himself at international level, earning 15 caps for Wales and scoring twice, with both goals coming against Iceland in November 2024.
Cullen has not always been used as an orthodox number nine, either for club or country. His ability to drop into deeper areas and link the play could make him a natural fit for Martin’s possession-based approach at Leicester, while his experience should be valuable in a division where the Foxes will be expected to challenge for promotion.
Swansea have already strengthened their attacking options this summer, with Elijah Just and Moussa Yeo among their new arrivals. They are also expected to place greater responsibility on Adam Idah following an injury-disrupted first season, while retaining last season’s Championship leading scorer Zan Vipotnik remains a priority.
That could help clear Cullen’s path to the King Power Stadium. It would give him the chance to work under Martin once again, while joining a club whose League One status is unlikely to lessen the pressure or expectation surrounding the coming campaign.
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