Sunderland are readying themselves for more interest in key players from the Premier League following the news that Burnley are tracking defender Dan Ballard, according to journalist Alan Nixon.
The 24-year-old is in his second campaign at the Stadium of Light since joining from Arsenal in 2022 and has started all 11 Championship fixtures this season, contributing two goals.
His form for the Black Cats has caught the eye of Vincent Kompany’s Burnley, who interestingly came close to securing the centre-back on a permanent deal themselves whilst they were still in the Championship. It was reported at the time that a move to Turf Moor from Arsenal was a done deal, but Sunderland swooped at the last minute to secure his signature.
Burnley are already looking forward to the January transfer window as they look to reinforce their squad ahead of the business end of the season, and the manager is targeting defensive additions as he looks to secure their Premier League status for another year.
Nixon claims that the Lancashire side are making checks on his availability, but it would ‘take a big fee’ to tempt Tony Mowbray’s side into selling, particularly because they are targeting a promotion charge themselves.
It’s not the first time that the Wearside club have attracted attention from last season’s Championship winners. They attempted to recruit Jack Clarke throughout the summer and saw several bids rejected, which eventually totalled over £10 million. Nixon also claims that fellow Premier League outfit Brentford are interested in the winger and could look at launching a £15 million bid of their own after Christmas.
Both players were part of the team which went down 4-0 against local rivals Middlesbrough yesterday, with Dan Neil’s sending off on the stroke of half time whilst the score was goalless proving pivotal. Speaking afterwards, Ballard said;
“I thought the first half was a really good game. It was quite evenly balanced and I didn’t think they had many chances. I’d say we probably had the best chance of the game and it was a really good game of football. It was an enjoyable first half right up until the last kick and then obviously the referee sends Dan Neil off and the game changes.
“I think we could have managed the situation better definitely but it’s obviously tough trying to play 45 minutes with 10 men and towards the end you could see it took a lot out of us and we are extremely disappointed with the result.”
Sunderland head into the international break in fourth position and will travel to struggling Stoke City in just under two weeks time.
Writer’s View
Sunderland’s form over the past 12 months means that their players were always going to attract interest from clubs in the Premier League. However, they are a club that should arguably be playing in the top division themselves and are targeting a return to the top table after what would be a seven-year absence at the end of this season.
Those that are fighting for their lives in January are likely to come knocking in January, but Sunderland are in a position where they don’t need to sell. However, should they fail to obtain promotion this season, they could struggle to keep hold of some of their stars next summer.
