Bradford City will have to pay £500,000 to land Accrington Stanley defender Benn Ward this month, according to journalist Alan Nixon.
The 22-year-old joined the League Two side a year ago from Burnley on an 18-month deal. He departed Turf Moor having never made a first team appearance for the Clarets, although did spend the first half of the 2023/24 campaign on loan at Swindon Town.
Ward’s time in Wiltshire was heavily disrupted by injury. He suffered a hernia injury early into the season, leading to his parent club cutting short the temporary move in January.
The centre-back has seen his career spark into life in Lancashire. He has been an ever-present in the side over the past 12 months, but a stunning past month has seen him catch the eye of a number of teams in the league above.
Bradford, Wigan And Reading All Express Interest
Ward hit two goals in December for Stanley, including an excellent long range effort against Barrow on Boxing Day. He also helped keep three clean sheets which saw John Doolan’s side move towards the top half of the fourth tier.
This led to a nomination for the League Two Player of the Month, which hasn’t gone unnoticed by a handful of clubs looking to strengthen this month. League One’s Bradford, Wigan Athletic and Reading alongside Accrington’s division rivals Chesterfield are all said to be keen, although it is the Latics that have made their interest concrete over the past week.
🎯 @ASFCofficial defender Benn Ward with one from range! ⚽️💥#EFL | #SkyBetLeagueTwo pic.twitter.com/d7dlpE9fSC
— Sky Bet League Two (@SkyBetLeagueTwo) December 26, 2025
It has been reported that Wigan have launched several bids over the last few days, all of which have been knocked back. Therefore, it is said that Ryan Lowe’s team are prepared to walk away from the deal and explore over options.
Accrington Stanley Name Price
News this morning has claimed that Accrington are only willing to sanction a deal if their asking price of £500,000 is met. This is a large sum of money for a player who is out of contract in the summer, although understandable.
Stanley will not have given up on their slim hopes of reaching the play-offs and are clearly reluctant to let one of their key stars leave without being amply rewarded for his services. They will be well aware that these are top League One teams, strengthening their hand further.
Bradford are chasing back-to-back promotions and are actively chasing new recruits this month. They suffered a blow yesterday when they lost to league leaders Cardiff City yesterday, whilst second-placed Lincoln City picked up a point at Luton Town.
The Bantams are now three points off the top two, although they do possess a game in hand over the Imps. They travel to Sincil Bank later this month could be season-defining, and it may well be that Graham Alexander will be keen to add to his defensive line before the trip to Lincolnshire.