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West Ham United have made a late move to sign Nice left-back Melvin Bard before Tuesday's transfer deadline. The Hammers need to replace El Hadji Malick Diouf after his £40m move to Brentford, leaving Ollie Scarles as Nuno Espirito Santo's only natural senior option on the left side of defence. According to FootMercato journalist Santi Aouna, West Ham and Leeds United have both firmly in the race for the 25-year-old, who could now leave Nice for England. Nice are themselves are close to completing a deal for Niels Nkounkou, potentially clearing the way for Bard to leave. If West Ham do manage to get this one over the line, they would be signing a player Francesco Farioli once described as "hugely reliable and top-quality." Francesco Farioli was 'pleasantly surprised' by Melvin Bard Bard has accumulated 168 Ligue 1 appearances, but perhaps the most interesting evidence of what he could offer West Ham comes from the managers who have worked with him. Farioli wasn't entirely convinced when he first arrived at Nice in 2023. But after only a matter of weeks working together, the Italian admitted Bard had become one of the players who had "pleasantly surprised" him most. Farioli explained that Bard had approached adapting to his tactical demands with "total commitment and incredible application." He then went on to describe him as a "hugely reliable and top-quality player." Diouf offered enormous attacking threat from left wing-back, but replacing him doesn't necessarily mean finding an identical player. With West Ham having conceded five times in their opening three Championship games, Nuno also needs reliability and defensive security. Farioli later highlighted those exact qualities when Bard was voted Nice's November Player of the Month in 2023. The former Ajax manager praised his defensive ability, his success in duels and particularly his performances in one-v-one situations, saying Bard had put together a run of games where his quality had become "visible to everyone." This wasn't simply a full-back being selected because there were few alternatives, either. Later that season, Farioli described Bard as one of Nice's "key players" after establishing himself in the side. M. Bard France • Age 25 • Defender Dante backed Bard to reach the 'highest level' Bard's development had been noticed inside the dressing room long before that, though. Nice captain Dante took the young defender under his wing after his arrival from Lyon and was particularly impressed by the way he responded to coaching. The former Bayern Munich centre-back said Bard is intelligent, eager to listen and determined to improve, while he also made a significant prediction about where his career could eventually take him. "He has so much talent. I think he'll have a great career," Dante said. He added that if Bard continued working in the same way, he could reach the "highest level." Christophe Galtier reached a similar conclusion while managing him at Nice. The former PSG boss called Bard a "serious kid with real ability," highlighting how closely he listened to instructions and describing him as a pleasure to coach. Bard isn't renowned for spectacular attacking numbers, having registered only seven goals and seven assists across his senior career, but there has been a consistent appreciation of his defensive work, attitude and capacity to absorb tactical instructions. At 25, he also has considerably more senior experience than his age might suggest, including 168 Ligue 1 appearances and further experience in both the Europa League and Conference League. Nice signing could open door for West Ham The big question now is whether West Ham can now move quickly enough to take advantage. Leeds are also pushing for Bard, while Nice's imminent move for Nkounkou appears to have changed the situation significantly. Aouna reports that the incoming defender has already given his agreement to Nice and is now just one step away from completing the transfer, which could pave the way for Bard to leave. West Ham have an obvious vacancy following Diouf's departure and very little time remaining to fill it. But West Ham wouldn't be replacing Diouf's explosive attacking output like-for-like. They would instead be adding an experienced Ligue 1 defender whose former manager specifically praised his reliability, defensive duels and one-v-one ability. Dante thought he had enough talent to eventually reach the "highest level," while Farioli eventually came to regard him as "hugely reliable and top-quality." West Ham are now in a race against time to bring in reinforcements before Tuesday night's 11pm transfer window deadline. Have your say! Do you think Bard's profile would suit Nuno's defence in the Championship? Would he strengthen our defence considerably? Have your say in the comments below...