Ex-Sunderland manager target keen on Black Cats transfer raid for 24-year-old | OneFootball

The defender is said to be a target of the Englishman's Ligue 1 side this summer

Sunderland defender Dan Ballard is said to be a target for Will Still’s RC Lens this summer.

That’s according to journalist Michael Graham, who has revealed that the former Reims manager is eying up the 24-year-old after moving to the Ligue 1 side last month.

Still was reportedly a long-term target for the Black Cats during the off-season, with the Englishman said to have had talks at the Stadium of Light before deciding to stay in France.

Ballard featured 43 times for the Mackems in the previous campaign, with the former Arsenal man thriving in his role in the heart of defence after making the move from the Gunners in the summer of 2022.

Will Still & RC Lens said to be targeting Sunderland defender Dan Ballard

The Wearsiders must have thought they had seen the last of Still this summer, with the 31-year-old rumoured to be taking the job in the north east earlier in the year, before conversations between the two parties came to a halt.

In the end, the young manager decided to stay in France with Lens, while the Black Cats made the move to appoint former Lorient boss Regis Le Bris, with the 48-year-old appointed last month.

But Still seems to have unfinished business with the Mackems this summer, as he has returned with an interest in Ballard, who has emerged as a key player at the Stadium of Light in the past two years.

Having made the move from London two years ago, the centre-back has made 62 league appearances for the club, and was one of the first names on the team sheet in the previous campaign, as he missed just three league fixtures.

No player could top Ballard’s 40 blocked shots over the course of last season for the Black Cats, as he repeatedly put his body on the line to see the opposition at bay, while his 182 clearances sees him sit head and shoulders above his teammates in that regard.

The 24-year-old’s dominance in the air will also have tempted Still into making a move this summer, after winning a whopping 118 aerial duels for his side, the only Sunderland player to reach three figures in that regard.

Sunderland open Dan Ballard contract talks after Ipswich Town interest

Still’s Lens side aren’t the only club to have shown an interest in Ballard of late, with Premier League newcomers Ipswich Town said to have had an interest in him earlier in the summer.

Kieran McKenna’s side were looking to bolster their defensive options ahead of their impending season in the top flight, although with the recent signing of Jacob Greaves any potential interest could well have ended.

Nevertheless, the interest in their defender is said to have sprung the Mackems into action, with talks reportedly starting to try to tie the centre-back down to an even longer deal at the Stadium of Light to preserve his status as a Sunderland player.

After moving to the north east in a reported £2 million deal, Ballard signed a three-year contract, but extended that deal in 2023 to keep him at the club until the summer of 2027.

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