Bristol City are reportedly preparing an offer which will meet Leyton Orient's £5 million asking price for striker Dom Ballard.
The Robins have been tracking the prolific Ballard throughout the summer and their interest hasn't dwindled since signing Plymouth Argyle frontman Lorent Tolaj in a £4m deal last month.
Leyton Orient have rejected multiple incremental bids for Ballard, which started with an initial £2.5m offer and rose to £4m at the end of July.
Orient's majority shareholder David Gandler stressed the League One club were unwilling to entertain any offers below their asking price, a move which appeared to have irked O's boss Richie Wellens, who was keen to see the player's future resolved.
However, according to journalist Alan Nixon, Bristol City are set to return with an improved £5m offer to satisfy Orient's demands.
Ballard is hot property in the third tier after an impressive individual campaign where he netted 23 goals for a team that finished 20th in League One.
A product of Southampton's famed academy, the striker had loan spells at Reading, Blackpool and Cambridge United, but struggled to have much of an impact at each club. Upon joining Leyton Orient on a permanent basis in the summer of 2025, Ballard found his shooting boots.
The 21-year-old was the only player to surpass 20 goals in League One last term and the marksman's efforts were recognised by his peers as he was named League One's Player of the Season and Young Player of the Season.
Bristol City were not the only club interested in Ballard with Leicester City also rumoured to be keen on signing the striker, but the Robins have been at the front of the queue for some time and finally appear set to acquire their man.
It's been an intriguing summer at Ashton Gate so far with Michael Skubala taking the reins following Roy Hodgson's interim spell at the back end of last season.
Skubala won an array of plaudits for the work he'd undertaken at Lincoln City as he guided the Imps to the League One title with 103 points, despite operating on a budget that was in the bottom third of the division.
He inherits a squad that's witnessed an overhaul in the goalkeeping department as Sam Tickle and Brad Collins joined from Wigan Athletic and Coventry City respectively, while the arrival of Tolaj is not the only major investment the Robins have made this summer with defender Lisav Naif Eissat and attacking midfielder Sam Greenwood joining for seven-figure fees.
Despite a somewhat tumultuous campaign where Gerhard Struber was sacked and key duo Anis Mehmeti and Zak Vyner were sold during the January window, the Robins finished seven points adrift of Derby County in eighth - and eighth is the magic position as it will secure you a play-off berth this season.
Bristol City are 11/4 to finish in the top eight of the Championship, and the Robins are priced at 12/1 to secure promotion to the Premier League for the first time.
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