Dom Ballard attracting interest as Orient moots £15 million plus price | OneFootball

According to Sainstmarching.com, former Southampton academy forward Dom Ballard is attracting interest from higher-league clubs. Orient are not prepared to sell cheaply and will be expecting a bidding war when the summer window opens.

The 21-year-old joined Orient permanently in September 2025 and scored in his first League One match. He has since hit 21 goals in 35 appearances, including three hat-tricks and a couple of braces.

Ballard struck 60 goals in 72 academy games for Southampton but made only four senior appearances. He scored his first senior goal aged 17 in an EFL Cup second-round tie at Cambridge United, yet neither Ruben Selles, Nathan Jones nor Russell Martin was prepared to take a chance, and he was loaned to Reading, Blackpool and Cambridge United. A tendon injury disrupted his progress before he was sold ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

His rise this season has been rapid as Southampton slid towards the bottom of the Championship under Will Still. Richie Wellens’s side have struggled to match last season’s play-off final run and are 15th. Orient may be looking to cash in.

Using Jay Stansfield’s move from Fulham to Birmingham City as a benchmark, Orient are understood to have set a notional £15 million-plus price. A sell-on clause means Southampton will receive a sizeable share if a deal happens.

With five league games remaining, Ballard could reach 25 goals this season. If he gets to 27, he would be League One’s top scorer across the past five years.

Source: Sainstmarching.com