AC Milan, Man Utd eye Cardiff City transfer raid - Coventry City also tracking stars

Cardiff City youngster Ronan Kpakio has been eyed by European giants such as Manchester United and AC Milan , while Coventry have scouted Dylan Lawlor .

Cardiff City ace Ronan Kpakio has attracted a host of transfer interest from European giants, including Manchester United and Serie A title challengers AC Milan , while Dylan Lawlor has been scouted by Coventry City .

The Bluebirds strengthened their League One title credentials on Saturday by beating third-place Bradford City 2-1 in West Yorkshire, thanks to goals from David Turnbull and Calum Chambers.

Brian Barry-Murphy's men face another important test this Saturday, when they take on Stockport County, who sit fourth after beating Rotherham United 3-2.

Cardiff have heavily benefited from the services of talented youngsters such as Kpakio and Lawlor this term, as well as the likes of fellow academy graduates Joel Colwill and Rubin Colwill.

Kpakio has been a class act for the Bluebirds this term, scoring one goal and producing six assists in 22 League One appearances from right-back.

The 18-year-old earned recognition for his efforts when he was called up by Wales for the first time last summer, and he has gone on to make three senior appearances for his nation.

Meanwhile, according to Wales Online , Premier League trio Manchester United , Everton, and Brentford have all taken a close look at Kpakio, while the Bees are still actively tracking his progress.

The report adds that the teenager has also been eyed by French duo Nice and Stade Rennais, as well as Italian giants AC Milan .

Kpakio is not alone in attracting high-profile admirers of his Cardiff exploits, as three Premier League clubs, three Championship outfits and three MLS sides have shown interest in centre-back Lawlor.

As per Wales Online, second-tier leaders Coventry sent scouts to watch both Lawlor and Kpakio in the Bluebirds' 1-0 win over Wigan Athletic earlier this month.

The centre-back has previously attracted interest from Austrian Bundesliga club RB Salzburg, as well as teams from both Spain and Denmark.

Stoke City had also eyed Lawlor, while Scottish Premiership giants Rangers were a serious suitor during Russell Martin's short reign at Ibrox.

Crucially, the Bluebirds have no intention of selling the duo this month.

The high-profile interest in Lawlor, and in particular Kpakio, is a heavy endorsement of their impressive ability as much as it is a testament to Barry-Murphy's successful coaching at Cardiff.

Both defenders have shown that they have the potential to perform well at a higher level than League One, but the right-back would struggle for game time at a club like Man United or Milan , who would likely view him as a development project rather than an immediate first-team asset.

Contrastingly, Lawlor and Kpakio are set to play a key role in the Bluebirds' promotion push, and should be keen to add a promotion to their increasingly impressive CVs.

Both the centre-back and the right-back are better suited to staying at the Cardiff City Stadium for now, and deciding on their future in the summer, by which time they could be League One champions. It's also worth noting that the two prodigies both penned contract extensions earlier on in the campaign, giving Cardiff all-important control and negotiating power regarding their ever-speculated futures in the Welsh capital.

Inevitably, one would assume, the time will come for Kpakio and Lawlor to move onto bigger and better things - attack-minded right-backs and ball-playing central defenders of a young age are often worth their weight in gold - but Cardiff's bullish resolve right now will be well-received by the Bluebirds faithful.