Exclusive: Leyton Orient set Bristol City new Dom Ballard transfer price | OneFootball

The Robins have had an offer snubbed for prolific striker Ballard, but they now know the price that is needed

Leyton Orient striker Dom Ballard is a man in-demand in the summer transfer window, and their suitors have now found out how much it'll take to prise him away from Brisbane Road, Football League World can exclusively reveal.

Despite it being a season of struggle for Richie Wellens' side, Ballard was the shining light of the east London club's year, having signed last summer for a fee that was initially in the low six-figure region.

No-one could have possibly expected the goalscoring form that former England youth international Ballard was about to show, having struggled to find the back of the net for both Blackpool and Cambridge United in his previous season's loan stints, but the O's were the perfect fit for his prowess.

Come the end of 2025-26, Ballard had found the back of the net 23 times in League One, whilst also notching four assists for a club that finished just one spot above the division's four relegation spots.

Naturally, interest from bigger and better leagues was going to come, and with the summer transfer window a few weeks old, the race for Ballard is already hotting up.

Leyton Orient's Dom Ballard asking price comes to light amid rejected Bristol City bid

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It was revealed earlier this week by Alan Nixon that Bristol City - who are rebuilding under new head coach Michael Skubala - had launched the first offer for Ballard this summer, but it fell short of what Leyton Orient were demanding for the 21-year-old.

Following on from that, journalist Pete O'Rourke claimed that the value of the bid that the Robins had submitted was in the region of £2.5 million, with Orient clearly valuing their talisman much higher than that figure.

And FLW can exclusively reveal that Leyton Orient's hierarchy are looking for a figure of around £5 million to cash in on Ballard's services this summer, having tied him down to a contract until 2028, as well as holding the option to extend that by a further year until 2029.

Should a club meet that threshold, then it would smash Orient's highest-ever sale, which came last summer when Ethan Galbraith moved on to Swansea City for a fee believed to be around £1.5 million.

Bristol City are not the only club that are keen on securing Ballard's services though. Swansea have been said to be looking to repeat the Galbraith transfer trick, whilst West Ham and German outfit Werder Bremen have all been linked with a move for the O's hot-shot.

It remains to be seen if Ballard does depart Brisbane Road this summer, but it is somewhat expected that a club will match the figure that they want for the striker's services when the time is right - Bristol City will have to increase their initial bid though if they are to land their top striker target.