West Ham, Swansea and Bristol City eye potential £10m+ Leyton Orient transfer | OneFootball

West Ham, Swansea and Bristol City are all in the race to sign Leyton Orient starlet Dom Ballard this summer

West Ham are intending on making serious plays in this summer's ever-nearing transfer window in an effort to complete an instant return to the Premier League following relegation, and Nuno's side will be forced to fend off competition from two Championship rivals in Bristol City and Swansea City as they bid to secure the signature of one of the EFL's hottest properties right now.

An action-packed window at both ends is poised to be in store at the London Stadium, from which the likes of Jarrod Bowen, Mateus Fernandes, Crysencio Summerville and Aaron Wan-Bissaka - among many others, of course - could all depart throughout the summer months.

Wholesale player departures will only be a necessity as the Hammers strive to reduce the wage bill and balance the books after reports suggested that the East London outfit must raise £150 million in sales before the window slams shut.

West Ham have also been linked with potential moves for a host of players such as Cardiff City pair Rubin Colwill and Dylan Lawlor, Dael Fry and Hayden Hackney of Middlesbrough, Celtic's Arne Engels, Sheffield United midfielder Sydie Peck and ex-Derby County loan star Bobby Clark. A rebuild ultimately looms, and Nuno will be required to conduct a fine balancing act of sanctioning big-money sales to recoup funds while bolstering the squad at his disposal and filling gaps where fit ahead of a push for promotion straight out of the Championship.

The frontline could require particular work if both Taty Castellanos and Callum Wilson are to depart in the coming weeks and months, though, and that has led West Ham to join Bristol City and Swansea in the race for a breakout EFL sensation who is sure to find himself on the move this summer.

West Ham, Bristol City and Swansea in Leyton Orient, Dom Ballard transfer race

It appears as though the Championship promotion favourites are bidding to acquire a glut of EFL-proven talent in the market, and that's why they are reportedly in the race to sign Leyton Orient's Dom Ballard.

This development comes via a recent report from the Daily Mail, which arrived after Sky Sports' live transfer blog (20:12PM) reported the interest of Bristol City, Swansea and Bundesliga side Werder Bremen last night.

The prospect of Ballard leaving Orient, who only managed to survive in League One on the final day of the previous campaign, represents an increasingly-likely outcome following the striker's goal-laden debut season at Brisbane Road, in which he registered 23 goals and four assists in 40 appearances upon arriving from Southampton.

The 21-year-old's rich goalscoring displays would see him win both the League One Player of the Season and the Young Player of the Season awards, establishing his reputation as one of the most feared frontmen throughout the EFL.

Ballard, who enjoyed previous loan stints in the third-tier with Reading, Blackpool and Cambridge United before joining Richie Wellens' side on a permanent basis, has been heavily-speculated to find himself on the move this summer.

Back in April, Alan Nixon of The Sun claimed via his Patreon service that the League One side intend to use the big-money fee which took Jay Stansfield from Fulham to Birmingham City two years ago as a benchmark when assessing Ballard's market value.

Stansfield's second switch to the Second City was a costly one which saw Birmingham pay in excess of £10 million for the striker's signature, and while Ballard's price-tag is still up for debate, there's every chance that this transfer saga could cost its eventual winner - be that the Hammers, the Robins, the Swans or somebody else - an eight-figure outlay.

West Ham have Dom Ballard transfer advantage over Bristol City and Swansea

If Orient are to double-down and demand that sort of fee for Ballard, who has two years left to run on his current contract in East London with the option of an additional year, it would likely price both Bristol City and Swansea out of advancing their interest.

Werder Bremen, as a top-flight side, could perhaps be better-placed to meet the O's potential demands, though, whereas West Ham will also possess that level of financial muscle and can even enhance their spending power through a flurry of inevitable high-profile player sales.

Meanwhile, the Daily Mail's report additionally noted that the prospect of joining West Ham is "particularly appealing" for Ballard. That's no surprise considering that they're much more likely to be in the promotion race as opposed to Michael Skubala or Vitor Matos' outfits, while the geographical aspect would work for the striker too.

If West Ham