Exclusive: West Ham join Wrexham in race to sign ex-Man Utd midfielder | OneFootball

The Hammers are looking to raid a Championship rival this summer

West Ham United are looking to rebuild in the Championship following their relegation from the top flight, and they are eyeing up a star midfielder from a new divisional rival, Football League World can exclusively reveal.

It's not yet known how much of Nuno Espirito Santo's current squad is going to be snatched away from him, but the likelihood is that the Hammers hierarchy will need to let players go for decent money in order to cut their expected financial losses.

Mateus Fernandes, Crysencio Summerville, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and club captain Jarrod Bowen are just four of West Ham's key players that are being linked away from the London Stadium, but there's over 12 weeks for moves to be made from clubs wanting to snag one of the club's prized assets - they of course will need to be replaced though.

It remains to be seen what kind of budget West Ham will have to play with this summer when it comes to incomings, but they're certainly set to be ambitious, with another top Championship player now on their radar as they look to build a squad capable of challenging for automatic promotion at the first time of asking.

West Ham eyeing Swansea City, Ethan Galbraith transfer raid

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Sources have informed FLW that West Ham are very much eyeing up a deal for Swansea City midfielder Ethan Galbraith this summer - perhaps in anticipation of the aforementioned Fernandes moving on to a top flight club after just one year.

Man United are strong admirers of the Portuguese playmaker, who is said to be valued at around £80 million by the Hammers, but Galbraith is being lined up to bolster the club's engine room.

Capable of playing at right-back as well as in the middle of the park, ex-Man United prospect Galbraith arrived at Swansea last summer from League One outfit Leyton Orient, for a fee reported to be in the region £1.6 million - a move that FLW exclusively revealed that the club were in pole position for a few days prior to it happening - and he appeared 39 times for the South Wales club in the Championship in his debut year.

The 25-year-old has been capped 16 times for the Northern Ireland senior team, and it was reported back in April that he had snubbed a fresh contract offer from Swansea, which was offered despite the fact that he still had two years remaining on his current deal, with an extra one-year option added onto that as well, essentially keeping him on the club's books until 2029 - that offer was reportedly far short of what the club's top earners are taking home.

Interest from Swansea's fellow countrymen and Championship rival Wrexham has also been reported this summer before the transfer window has even officially opened, with the Red Dragons 'keeping tabs' on the Glengormley-born midfielder's situation as they potentially look to make a move of their own.

West Ham though have now entered into the battle for Galbraith's services this summer, but no club has yet handed Swansea a decision to make in terms of a transfer fee being offered for the services of the versatile Northern Irishman.

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