Former Southampton academy star Dom Ballard is attracting attention from clubs in the higher leagues, according to reports.
Currently plying his trade in League One with Leyton Orient, 21-year-old Ballard has scored 21 times in 35 appearances since moving from the south coast on a permanent transfer in September 2025.
Ballard might have progressed under Eckert
Many Southampton fans were frustrated to see Ballard leave St Mary's, believing that the youngster hadn't been given enough opportunities to show what he could do in the first team.
At the Academy level, Ballard scored 60 goals in 72 appearances. First-team opportunities were limited to just four appearances despite Ballard grabbing his first senior goal in an EFL Cup second round match away at Cambridge United when he was 17-years-old.
None of Ruben Selles, Nathan Jones, or Russell Martin was prepared to take a chance on the youngster, and Ballard was farmed out on loan to Reading, Blackpool and Cambridge United.
A tendon injury interrupted Ballard's progress, and before the 2025/26 season got going in earnest, Ballard was sold to Orient.
Ballard's ascent has been rapid
Ballard's progress this season has been meteoric. As Southampton stumbled towards the bottom of the Championship under Will Still, Ballard's form blossomed.
After scoring in his first League One match for Orient, Ballard has gone on to score three hat-tricks and a couple of braces for the East London club.
To be fair, Ballard has been the only bright spot for O's manager, Richie Wellens, whose team has not been able to replicate their previous season's form when they reached the play-off final. Currently sitting 15th in the table, Orient may be looking to cash in on their prized asset.
Orient aren't prepared to let their star player go cheaply and will be expecting a bidding war between Championship clubs when the summer transfer window opens.
Using Jay Stansfield's transfer from Fulham to Birmingham City last summer as a benchmark, Orient have reportedly set a notional transfer fee of £15 million plus for the former Saint.
Should Orient sell Ballard this summer, Southampton will collect a sizeable chunk of cash. A sell-on release clause in Ballard's contract will ensure that the Southampton Academy's hard work will be rewarded.
Ballard's move to Orient has presented the player with his breakthrough opportunity, and the former Saint has seized it brilliantly. With five matches remaining in the league, Ballard could reach a total of 25 goals this season. That's a commendable tally for a striker coming of age. If he scores 27 goals, he will be the division's top scorer in the past five years.