Cardiff City told to slap bumper £10m price-tag on West Ham transfer target | OneFootball

The Hammers have been linked with several of the Bluebirds' top talent.

Cardiff City may have been promoted to the Championship, but that has not stopped their star players from being linked with moves away from the Welsh capital.

The Bluebirds secured an instant return to the third tier after finishing second in League One and built their success on a young, energetic side brimming with potential.

Indeed, it is that potential that is catching the gaze of West Ham, who are preparing for their first Championship season in 14 years and will certainly head into the campaign as one of the favourites for the title.

With the Hammers expected to offload their most talented players, they will require reinforcements, and although they have their eye on several Cardiff players, they have been warned off by a hefty price tag for one of the Bluebirds' prized assets.

West Ham warned off moving for Cardiff City striker Yousef Salech

Brian Barry-Murphy must be chuffed with the talent and potential of his current squad but will be all too aware that owning quality players means interest from afar will follow.

Yousef Salech is certainly up there in terms of the Welsh club's top performers, with the 24-year-old finishing the 2025/26 season as their top scorer with 15 goals in all competitions.

The centre-forward is set to lead the line for Cardiff in the Championship next term, but it has been reported that West Ham hold an interest in the Dane as they make transfer preparations.

When asked what Salech's price tag should be and whether there is any chance the striker could be prised away this summer, FLW's Bluebirds fan pundit Matt Hall was not overly concerned about a potential departure while setting a significant figure.

"I'm not overly worried about the use of Salech links if I'm being completely honest with you," Matt told Football League World.

"I think obviously West Ham are in a position really where they have got quite a few strikers, but there's a lot of uncertainty around all of them for varying reasons.

"Obviously, with Callum Wilson's contract situation unknown, Taty Castellanos may be too good for the Championship, could go elsewhere, and Pablo hasn't done anything positive at all.

"Nuno likes a big man, so it doesn't surprise me at all that Yousef Salech has been interested by them. However, if Salech were to go price-tag wise, I'd be looking for a minimum of £10million.

"I don't see any desire why he would want to go there. He wouldn't be a first choice; he's only just signed a new contract, he's absolutely adored by the fans here.

"It's never a guarantee when you go to a club like West Ham. I don't think they're in the position to start paying out ridiculous wages with the sort of wage structure they're trying to move down, so I just feel for me that he wouldn't be the one that would go."

What about the Hammers' interest in other Bluebirds players?

Action Images

The Irons have not only been credited with interest in Salech, but they have also been linked with Dylan Lawlor and Rubin Colwill, who both also enjoyed stellar campaigns at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Colwill enjoyed his best season for the Bluebirds in terms of returns, while he remained consistent in his performances, and as for Lawlor, he demonstrated his ability as a modern ball-playing centre-back, which is bound to appeal to top sides.

However, Matt was in a buoyant mood over Cardiff's wanted players and does not believe any are in a rush to depart the Welsh capital any time soon.

"I put every single player that they've been interested in, in the same bracket," Matt continued.

"To me it appears that West Ham have got the longest shortlist in Championship history where basically anybody under the age of 25 that has a bit of talent in the Championship is shortlisted in every position, and obviously we have got a lot of talent.

"I just think that all of our players now are locked into long contracts and there's no desire from any of the players seemingly to leave, so I feel like we would need to be getting premium money for these players to sort of see them move elsewhere, especially within the same league."

Cardiff may be in a strong selling position, but if a club like West Ham do cement their interest with bids, then it will be interesting to see how far the Bluebirds go to keep hold of their best players.

With the Championship set to be fiercely competitive, Barry-Murphy will be hoping he can not only retain his top talent but sprinkle some experience to help the cause too.