Swansea City should seal Leyton Orient transfer if Zan Vipotnik leaves | OneFootball

Swansea City should pursue the reigning League One Player of the Season, Dom Ballard, if they were to lose Zan Vipotnik this summer

Swansea City will still be incurring a bit of a struggle to keep last season's Golden Boot winner, Zan Vipotnik, in South Wales this summer, despite tying him down to a fresh deal late last season.

The Slovenian international topped the goalscoring charts last season with 23 in 44 games, five goals more than Oli McBurnie, who finished second in the Golden Boot race.

Vipotnik's clinical nature was highlighted by potential suitors in January, with then-Premier League side West Ham United reportedly keen on bringing him to the London Stadium. But the 24-year-old remained a Swansea player, and his contract was extended to 2030 in March.

While this could be seen as a play to keep the talisman at the Swansea.com Stadium for the foreseeable future, it simply loosens the pressure on selling him this summer. The ball is in the Swans' court, and if they decide a good enough deal comes through, they may take it.

Reports in April suggested that Swansea valued Vipotnik at £15 million, so if an offer in that region comes in, perhaps Vitor Matos will be in the market for a new line leader this summer, and they should replace their 23-goal striker with another one from League One.

Dom Ballard should make a Championship step up with Swansea City

If Swansea find themselves in need of a new striker this summer, they should once again plot a Leyton Orient raid and take one of Richie Wellens' best players. This time last year, Ethan Galbraith made the switch, and this time round, Dom Ballard could be the perfect Vipotnik replacement.

The 21-year-old has had one of the biggest breakout seasons ever seen in the EFL, netting 23 times in 40 League One games in his first season at Brisbane Road.

Nobody expected Ballard to hit those heights so soon into his Leyton Orient career, given his rather disappointing loan spells with Reading, Blackpool and Cambridge United in the two seasons that pre-dated his permanent switch to his current side.

But the former Southampton youth star's goalscoring record in the under-18s and under-21s at St Mary's (60 goals in 73 combined games) had plenty expecting that once he found the right environment, the 21-year-old would explode into life.

Statistically, no one was better in League One than Ballard this past term. He picked up the Golden Boot, and also mopped up the third-tier trophies at the EFL Awards, winning Young Player and Player of the Season while also taking his place in the Team of the Season.

Understandably, all eyes will be on whether the exciting frontman will still be at Brisbane Road come the end of August. Leyton Orient still almost got relegated last season despite his efforts, so any top-level League One side could be interested in adding him to their ranks.

But perhaps Ballard has surpassed the top third-tier clubs, and those in the Championship should be forming a disorderly queue to try and bring the free-scoring 21-year-old to their club this summer. If they are, Swansea should be right at the front of it.

Swansea City would have to do some negotiating to secure Dom Ballard signing

Unfortunately, there are set to be some initial roadblocks to a possible Ballard signing for anyone in the Championship this summer, as reports in early April suggested that Leyton Orient were using Jay Stansfield's £15 million fee from Fulham to Birmingham City in 2024 as a benchmark for a sale.

With two years remaining on his deal, and with the O's holding an option to extend that by a further year, Richie Wellens' side are under no pressure to sell, especially if they believe they can return to being a play-off side next season with Ballard leading the line.

It's a similar situation as Swansea with Vipotnik, though, and if a big enough offer comes in to take the Slovenian away from South Wales, there'll be some confidence that a decent offer, perhaps not as high as £15 million, would be enough to persuade Orient to let Ballard go.

If Vitor Matos' side can recoup between £15 and £20 million for Viptonik's services, then they'll have a decent chunk of available budget to invest in his replacement, which could position them towards the front of the Ballard queue.

And if they can negotiate a good enough fee with Leyton Orient, then Swansea may once again have themselves a striker who could net 20+ goals in the Championship for them, after the likes of Joel Piroe and Vipotnik before.