What Cardiff City have said about selling Dylan Lawlor as West Ham eye transfer | OneFootball

Football League World takes a look at Cardiff City's public stance on selling in-demand defender Dylan Lawlor amid fresh interest from West Ham United

West Ham United are preparing for life back in the Championship for the first time in 14 years following the East London outfit's unprecedented relegation from the Premier League, with frantic transfer activity throughout the summer months now poised to be on the cards at the London Stadium.

The Hammers must reportedly raise up to £150 million in player sales once the summer transfer window commences next Monday and Nuno Espirito Santo has no shortage of assets under his watch as the likes of Jarrod Bowen, Mateus Fernandes, Crysencio Summerville and Aaron Wan-Bissaka could all depart in the coming weeks and months.

Considering the size of West Ham's wage bill, the likelihood of a glut of Nuno's players being unwilling to spend at least one season playing Championship football and, of course, the well-documented gulf in revenue between the Premier League and the second-tier, it's no surprise that the club's key decision-makers are under pressure to sanction a mass exodus of the playing squad and a rebuilding process will await Nuno and co.

Player recruitment has been a notable issue for West Ham in recent years, and they'll now be bidding to put it right this summer by bolstering Nuno's squad with reinforcements capable of helping the side gain instant promotion before - it will be hoped, at least - re-establishing at top-flight level.

A number of reported targets have already emerged on the club's radar heading into the summer window and Dylan Lawlor is one of the latest emerging names, having earned no shortage of attention elsewhere following a breakout campaign in League One with boyhood club Cardiff City, helping Brian Barry-Murphy's outfit achieve promotion straight back to the Championship.

The Welsh international defender has been linked with a host of serious sides in recent times, and with The Athletic now reporting fresh interest from the London Stadium, Football League World has taken a look at how Cardiff really feel about sanctioning his potential exit out of the Welsh capital.

How Cardiff City really feel about selling Dylan Lawlor amid West Ham transfer interest

Lawlor has emerged as one of the most exciting and hotly-coveted talents in the EFL system after completing a sustained first-team breakthrough at Cardiff last season, in which the prodigious 20-year-old accumulated 37 appearances across all competitions while breaking into Craig Bellamy's Welsh national team set-up.

The Bluebirds' academy product's age, profile and starring displays in a promotion-winning side have made for no surprise to supporters in the face of repeated transfer interest, with the likes of Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Chelsea having all been linked with his signature throughout recent months.

Cardiff's own stance on selling Lawlor is clear, though, and it's something that West Ham must keep in mind as they prepare to make potential advances for the youngster's sought-after signature.

Speaking at a meeting between club officials and supporters groups towards the end of April, Cardiff chairman Mehmet Dalman outlined the club's position.

Dalman was quizzed on potential player sales and Lawlor's situation, to which he responded, as per the Cardiff City Supporters’ Trust: "There is zero intention of selling any player on."

He stopped short of claiming that the Welsh club would rebuff all interest entirely, adding that the Bluebirds would "engage" if approaches are forthcoming.

According to the City chief, popular head coach Barry-Murphy ultimately has the final say, as he revealed that "if BBM wanted to sell a player, then we would sell him."

West Ham would need to pay serious Cardiff City transfer windfall for Dylan Lawlor deal

Although there is an understood acceptance that Lawlor will eventually graduate towards the highest level, Cardiff are under no immediate pressure to sell after regaining their Championship status, having also tied the Welshman down to a new three-year contract last August.

Had they failed to achieve promotion, the prospect of Lawlor's departure as early as this coming summer would have been much more likely, but the ball rests firmly in Cardiff's court for the time being.

Barry-Murphy himself has engineered Lawlor's growth from a young academy prospect on the fringes of the first-team to a seasoned international with admiration from Europe's elite in less than twelve months, with the pedigree of his suitors also casting serious doubt over West Ham's ability to complete a deal.

It's a view held by many Cardiff fans that, in today's market and in light of Lawlor's profile as a young, left-footed ball-playing central defender with promotion-winning and international experience at a remarkably young age, the Bluebirds should be demanding figures in the region of the £20 million mark in order to sanction his departure.