Former Lincoln City loan striker Bailey Cadamarteri is reportedly attracting serious interest from the Scottish Premiership, with talk of a potential £1m bid emerging during the January transfer window.
The 20-year-old forward, currently with Sheffield Wednesday, has been linked with Hibernian, as the Owls continue to navigate a difficult period off the pitch amid financial uncertainty and an ongoing takeover process.
Reports in Scotland suggest Hibernian are closely monitoring Cadamarteri’s situation, although there is conflicting information over whether a formal bid has already been lodged. Alan Nixon has claimed via his Patreon that a £1m offer has been made, but then he claims a lot of things. Other outlets have suggested that any approach so far has been closer to a mid-level six-figure sum, a valuation unlikely to tempt Sheffield Wednesday into a sale at this stage.
For City supporters, Cadamarteri’s rapid rise will come as a little bit of a surprise. The striker spent the 2024–25 season on loan at Sincil Bank, where he was in and out of Michael Skubala’s side. He certainly had something, but he didn’t really settle, and had a short period out injured.
While his loan spell did not produce headline-grabbing numbers, it did provide something arguably more important: regular senior football. Cadamarteri was trusted in high-pressure League One fixtures, developed his hold-up play, and showed a willingness to lead the line against experienced defenders. That grounding led him to the Jamaica side, where he was a team mate of Dexter Lembikisa in their CONCACAF World Cup qualifying campaign. He could still be at the World Cup next summer as they face a playoff against New Caledonia and then DR Congo if they’re successful. Portugal, Uzbekistan and Colombia await if he does make it.
At Sheffield Wednesday, Cadamarteri has featured prominently this season, despite the club’s struggles. Only three players have made more appearances for the Owls this campaign, and he is one of a small group to have scored more than once in a side hampered by injuries and instability. He is also one of only three Wednesday players to have appeared in every league match so far.
The wider context, however, is crucial. Sheffield Wednesday’s financial situation has left them vulnerable to interest in younger assets, particularly those with resale value. With strict restrictions on incoming transfers and limited loan flexibility, the club may find it difficult to resist sizeable offers, even for players they would ideally keep.
That reality places Cadamarteri firmly in the shop window, especially for clubs like Hibernian who are searching for young, physically developed forwards capable of making an immediate impact while retaining long-term value. A £1m fee, if accurate, would represent a significant outlay in the Scottish Premiership, underlining how highly he is now rated.
From a Lincoln City standpoint, Cadamarteri’s situation is another example of how productive loan spells at Sincil Bank can accelerate a player’s career trajectory. We talk about Morgan Rogers and Brennan Johnson plenty, but Morgan Whittaker and Brooke Norton-Cuffy have either made big money moves, or been linked with them, and Cadamarteri is another in a long line of players leveraging Sincil Bank for better things.
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