Former Linfield youngster Galbraith, who departed the Blues for Premier League giants Manchester United in 2017, was one of Orient’s top performers in League One last season as they narrowly missed out on sealing Championship promotion following a play-off final defeat to Charlton Athletic at Wembley.
The 24-year-old scored six goals and provided a further seven assists across 42 league appearances for Richie Wellens’ side—form that has attracted significant interest from teams higher up the English pyramid.
Sheffield United suffered their own play-off final heartbreak last month as they lost out 2-1 to a Sunderland side including Galbraith’s international teammates Dan Ballard and Trai Hume, while Swansea reportedly had a £1 million bid for the Glengormley native rejected in January.
Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke has now reported Swansea have renewed their interest in Galbraith, with the Championship pair set to battle it out for his signature.
Galbraith started for Northern Ireland in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Denmark in Copenhagen and will likely feature once again on Tuesday as Michael O’Neill’s side takes on Iceland at Windsor Park as preparations ramp up for 2026 World Cup qualifying.
He made one senior appearance for United during his time at Old Trafford and enjoyed loan spells at Doncaster Rovers and Salford City before joining Orient in 2023.
Versatile Galbraith has taken his game to another level at Brisbane Road, with manager Wellens claiming he has the potential to play at the highest level.
“He is a Premier League player in the making, and younger players who watch him can see how strong he is in his running,” said Wellens last season. “He’s unbelievable, and he’s brilliant.
“We’ve got loads of young players that should be watching him and going, ‘He’s intense there, he’s always running, he’s always at it.’”
Galbraith was once dubbed “our little Xavi or Iniesta” by former Northern Ireland boss Ian Baraclough, while he also received high praise from international legends David Healy and Jim Magilton for his performance in March’s draw against Switzerland.
“Knowing him from when he was 14 or 15, he has a wee bit of Steve Davis about him,” Healy told BBC. “He sees the picture, can handle the ball, and part of his development at Man United would have been dealing with the ball.
“When he lands on the ball, physically he isn’t 100 percent there just yet, but he sees clever passes, uses his body well…there were one or two of his performances I’m sure Northern Ireland supporters would have seen at the U21 level that were exceptional.”
Current Cliftonville boss Magilton played a key role in helping develop the likes of Galbraith during his time as Irish FA Elite Performance Director.
“He’s magical; I’ve always been a huge fan,” said Magilton. “David and I watched him growing up in underage groups, and he was this magnificent young player with so much technical ability.
“When you go to a club like Manchester United, sometimes you can get eaten up, but to see him now on the international stage and to have the confidence to go and do what he’s doing, he’s a fantastic footballer.
“Technically he is as good as I’ve ever been around in terms of the young boys, and he’s starting to develop into a top-class player.”
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