Leyton Orient have knocked back a £4 million bid from Bristol City as they continue to hold firm in their hopes of keeping Dom Ballard.
The Robins have been keen on signing the former Southampton man as part of their efforts to further bolster Michael Skubala’s squad ahead of his debut campaign in charge at Ashton Gate.
Latest Offer Rejected
Now, in a new report from Alan Nixon through his Patreon page, it has been revealed that Orient have turned down a £4 million plus extras bid from City for Ballard, whose efforts on the way to winning the League One Golden Boot kept the Brisbane Road side from facing relegation to League Two.
That figure would have exactly matched the fee they paid to sign Lorent Tolaj from Plymouth Argyle, with the Swiss forward on the brink of a move after Tom Cleverley all but confirmed his exit.
It has previously been reported that City are still keen on signing Ballard despite their pickup of the 24-year-old, and Nixon states they are ready to continue their pursuit despite this latest setback.
However, Richie Wellens has been keen on retaining his striker for the right price, having previously regretted the £1.5 million sale of Ethan Galbraith to Swansea City, albeit with that move since earning the club more money due to a sell-on clause as part of his deal to join Stoke City.
Striker has been a key position of interest heading into the summer for Bristol City, having previously retained an interest in Huddersfield Town’s Joe Taylor and Sam Greenwood also on their list of targets, according to outlets in Poland.
It has previously been reported that Orient would consider a sale if a fee in the range of £5 million was offered, a cut-down price from their initial valuation of around £15 million, hopeful they could bank a similar amount of money as Fulham in their sale of Jay Stansfield to Birmingham City.
How Far Can Bristol City Go?
It seems that Bristol City are very keen to splash a lot of cash this summer as they look to try and stake a claim to one of the now six playoff places this season, and will be set for an even bigger fee if they were to sign Dom Ballard.
With a £5 million price tag reported for the 21-year-old, the gap in valuations is certainly closing after the Robins’ initial bid of £2.5 million weeks ago was promptly rejected.
While Sam Tickle’s fee was officially undisclosed, if the reported £1.5 to £2 million tag that Wigan Athletic wanted was correct, combined with the £4 million spent on Tolaj, City will have to spend north of £10 million to secure their three main transfer targets.
Ballard is of course a brilliant striker and as a partner to Tolaj, should Skubala opt to play with two up front, then Bristol City should have a clinical duo and that, combined with the talents they already have, should put them in a comfortable place to challenge for a place in the Premier League for the first time.
For that reason, they should certainly press on and try and meet Leyton Orient at that £5 million valuation, which should be enough to allow Richie Wellens to accept a sale that he can swallow given his past regrets on the Ethan Galbraith deal.
