Daniel Ballard’s proposed move to Championship club Burnley has reportedly broken down after the two clubs could not agree on terms.
According to The Athletic, Daniel Ballard will not be joining Burnley in the summer transfer window after the proposed move broke down. Arsenal and the EFL Championship club could not agree on reasonable terms for the defender, who had travelled to Lancashire for a medical.
Daniel Ballard proved his mettle in the Championship last season when he performed admirably for Millwall. The 22-year-old centre-back made 30 appearances in the Championship for the Lions and was primed for another move in the close season.
Ballard is a full Northern Ireland international, having played 15 times for his country. A move away from Arsenal was always on the cards for the young defender, and Burnley showed an interest in the last few weeks.
Newly installed manager Vincent Kompany was keen on bringing the defender’s qualities back to the Championship and saw his signing as vital for his new reign. The Clarets are fresh off losing two influential players and central defenders, Ben Mee and James Tarkowski, on free transfers, with their contracts expiring later this week.
Ballard was expected to fill the void left by the defenders, as at least one of them could be back in the Premier League. However, the Clarets will now have to look elsewhere after their deal with Arsenal collapsed at the last moment. At Arsenal, Mikel Arteta already has many quality defenders and is also planning on adding to his ranks as they continue to chase Ajax star Lisandro Martinez.
It seemed like Burnley and Arsenal had agreed on the defender’s fee. However, they might have disagreed on some other clauses, leading to the collapse. Earlier reports indicated the Gunners intended to insert a clause into the deal which would have granted them the opportunity to match future bids from prospective buyers.
Ballard had also reportedly travelled to Lancashire for a medical, which indicated how close the deal was to completion. However, that may not have been the reason for the collapse, as it seems like a pretty straightforward clause, not binding Burnley in any way. But as things stand, Ballard will remain at Arsenal until they find a new club for the defender.
