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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
John McDougall

Cardiff City stance on Bolton Wanderers Dapo Afolayan interest & summer transfer link revealed

Championship side Cardiff City have played down suggestions that they are interested in Bolton Wanderers top scorer Dapo Afolayan.

The 24-year-old attacker has had a great season in front of goal, finding the back of the net 14 times for Wanderers this campaign.

He has been up there with the best players this season for Wanderers after joining from Premier League side West Ham United last summer.

READ MORE: Sunderland & Sheffield Wednesday play-off tips made as Bolton Wanderers final position predicted

He played 21 times last season on loan from the Hammers and scored once in the second half of the season, before joining Wanderers permanently and putting pen to paper on a three-year deal.

Unsurprisingly given his form this season, transfer interest has emerged in the attacker from the division above.

Cardiff are reported to have watched Afolayan in action in the Easter Monday 3-1 win over Accrington Stanley, according to the Bolton News.

The Bluebirds have now responded to the suggestion they scouted the Wanderers star on Monday and said that is not the case and played down any links with the attacker, WalesOnline reports.

Afolayan has two years left to go on his contract at Wanderers and Bolton hold the cards in terms of any transfer business and they are not under any pressure to sell, with Ian Evatt vowing any potential suitors would have to dig deep for any of the club's prized assets.

Speaking last month about transfer speculation involving his players, Evatt said: "I expect it (transfer speculation) because I think we’ve got some good players but I’ve said before this club is now in a position because of Sharon (Brittan) and the rest of the board that we don’t have to sell, so I hope they’ve got deep pockets.

"It’ll just be myself, Sharon and the board’s decision. Everything we do will be in the best interests of Bolton Wanderers. I’m not going to sit here and say players aren’t for sale, because we all know that’s (not) true, everybody has a price.

"It’s my job to provide assets on the football pitch. I think we’ve done that and then if someone comes and bids what we deem as the right money to help the club in the long term then we’ll take it.

"There’s nobody which can’t be replaced. Some are more difficult than others, but for the right money you can replace anybody.

“Once a player’s heads turned, it’s very difficult in modern circumstances and the way the game is to keep them on board and keep them focused on the job at hand. It’s really then about selling at the right exit price so we’ll see what happens.

"I’m not saying anyone’s heads turned by the way, because it’s certainly not, but we’re getting ourselves in a position where clubs are enviously looking at some of our talent and rightly so because we’ve got some good players.”

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