West Ham locked in transfer talks with Cardiff City for Bayern Munich-linked star | OneFootball

West Ham United are in talks to sign Cardiff City defender Dylan Lawlor.

West Ham United are preparing for their first season in the Championship since 2012, after suffering relegation on the final day of the Premier League campaign.

The Hammers were locked in a battle with Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur last season for that final relegation spot, and would be the ones to succumb to the drop by just two points.

Despite this, optimism that the East London outfit can bounce back is high, with star winger Jarrod Bowen committing his future to the club, in what is a massive boost for their promotion chances.

With the sale of Mateus Fernandes to Tottenham and more player sales likely to come, West Ham have plenty of money to reinvest in their squad to ensure it's in the best possible stead to compete at the top of the division this term.

The Irons are yet to make their first signing of the summer though, with the season kicking off in three weeks, it could be a hectic few weeks at the London Stadium.

West Ham in discussions with Cardiff City over Dylan Lawlor transfer

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One area of the pitch that West Ham are looking for reinforcements is the middle of their defence, following their struggles last season and Axel Disasi's return to parent club Chelsea.

The Frenchman was a standout performer during his loan spell at the club, and reportedly remains a serious target for the Hammers, who are also said to be exploring other options too.

According to ExWHUEmployee via The West Ham Way, the London club are in discussions with newly-promoted Cardiff City regarding the transfer of highly-rated defender Dylan Lawlor.

Lawlor, 20, is one of the hottest defensive prospects in the entire EFL, having played a key role in the Bluebirds' promotion-winning campaign, with 32 appearances, two goals and two assists to his name in League One last term.

The youngster has already received six senior caps for Wales, and has previously been the subject of interest from Bayern Munich, but discussions between West Ham and Cardiff reportedly remain ongoing.

Lawlor is already a full Wales international, with six senior caps to his name, and there's now a chance he could be making a move to a fellow Championship club if a breakthrough can be made in negotiations.

West Ham also exploring plenty of other defensive signings alongside Dylan Lawlor

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As mentioned, West Ham aren't solely focused on signing only Lawlor to bolster their defence, as per the latest update from The West Ham Way, with plenty of other targets being explored.

The first player reportedly on Nuno Espírito Santo's radar is AC Milan's Fikayo Tomori, who has 11 months remaining on his contract and is believed to be keen on a return to London.

Southampton's Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Leicester City's Ben Nelson are also said to be on West Ham's shopping list from fellow English clubs, but they are also looking abroad to plug their defensive gaps.

Their targets abroad reportedly include Paris FC duo Moustapha Mbow and Otavio, Alexsandro of Lille, Tiago Gabriel of Lecce, and Copenhagen's Gabriel Pereira.

The Irons are in talks with a number of these players, according to the report, which suggests plenty of activity could be happening in the coming weeks at the London Stadium.