Watford eyeing up transfer swoop for Blackburn Rovers contract rebel Dom Hyam | OneFootball

Watford are keen on the 29-year-old defender.

Watford are interested in a move for Blackburn Rovers defender Dom Hyam.

Valerien Ismael’s side secured their first win of the 2025/26 Championship campaign with an emphatic 3-0 victory at Hull City, which was much-needed following defeats against West Bromwich Albion, Bradford City and Birmingham City.

This summer has seen a number of players exit Ewood Park, and there could still be more departures in the final stages of the window.

Watford keen on Dom Hyam move

Hyam’s future has been a topic of discussion throughout this summer, with the centre-back currently having just one year remaining on his Rovers’ contract.

It's reported that he has refused to sign a new deal tabled by the club, despite being happy in East Lancashire.

Ismael and Co. are open to selling Hyam in the coming weeks to avoid missing out on a transfer fee for the player entirely.

According to Alan Nixon via Patreon on Sunday, Watford are interested in a move for the centre-back this summer.

Nixon states that Blackburn could look to cash in on the Scotsman after contract talks stalled dramatically, and the Hornets currently head up a queue of teams circling around Hyam.

Callum Brittain, Tyrhys Dolan, Joe Rankin-Costello, Andreas Weimann, Danny Batth are all notable exits from the Rovers squad this transfer window, with former club captain Lewis Travis also close to completing a move to Derby County.

Hyam joined Blackburn in 2022 and has been a regular starter for the East Lancashire outfit ever since. His presence in Rovers' backline was crucial last term as they narrowly missed out on the top six, playing every single minute throughout the campaign.

His strong performances at Ewood Park haven’t gone unnoticed, with the centre-back making his international debut for Scotland in 2024.

Dom Hyam will be another big miss for Blackburn Rovers

After coming so close to the play-offs last season, it seemed like this summer presented an opportunity for Blackburn to build on their squad and push for the top six once again.

Despite a rocky start, Ismael had begun to show signs of promise, with the East Lancashire side winning four of their final five games to round out the 2024/25 campaign.

However, a mass exodus has followed at Ewood Park, with a massive chunk of the Rovers squad from last season moving on to pastures new.

Former boss John Eustace has played a large part in that, with the now Derby manager openly keen to acquire his favoured Blackburn operators.

Hyam’s defensive consistency will be sorely missed in Rovers' backline, and it will be incredibly hard to replace in the final few weeks of the window.

That said, losing him on a free in 12 months would cause further outrage amongst the Blackburn fanbase, so perhaps a sale in the next few weeks is the only option the club have got.

Watford could do with bolstering their defensive options before the 1 September deadline, as Paulo Pezzolano's side are yet to keep a clean sheet in the Championship this season.