Lincoln City could be handed a boost in the pursuit of Scottish striker Barney Stewart, as a rival for his signature closes in on another target.
Falkirk striker Stewart is on the Imps’ radar this summer, with a price north of £1m being suggested. It’s understood City are willing to pay, but the queue of potential suitors extends beyond us. One of the other clubs eyeing a move are West Brom, Championship rivals with deeper pockets.
They’ve reportedly had a £1m+ bid turned down for Stewart, who has three years left on his Bairns deal, and as yet, they haven’t been linked with a second, bigger offer. Instead, Football Insider now reports that they have targeted Chelsea striker Jimmy-Jay Morgan, who scored 14 times in 36 outings for Peterborough in a loan spell last season.
The 20-year-old has impressed at development level for the Blues, scoring 21 times in 46 appearances for the Blues’ Under-21s, while also earning recognition with England Under-20s. He is still waiting for a senior breakthrough at Stamford Bridge, which has left his future open going into the summer.
Morgan is entering the final 12 months of his Chelsea deal, and James Morrison’s Baggies are now reportedly in advanced talks to take him to the Hawthorns. Having signed him from Southampton for a fee in the region of £3 million in 2023, Chelsea are expected to look for a modest return if they decide to move him on.
West Brom may still target Stewart, but it does feel as though they have put another piece on the board, which could be a factor. Falkirk recently signed Ethan Laidlaw from Brentford, another move which would seem to give City a slight boost in our pursuit.
A lot has to happen for us to break that £1m barrier, with other suitors likely to be circling, and West Brom not actually ruled out: they might be pursuing a double swoop for the top end of the field, given Daryl Dikes has left, while the futures of Josh Maja and Karlan Grant are still up in the air.
Stewart has taken an unusual route into the professional game. He was previously on the books at Queens Park Rangers as a trainee, but also had a background in rugby union and Gaelic football before heading into further education with Heriot-Watt University in 2022. His time there proved decisive, as he helped the university side earn promotion from the EoSFL Second Division and then produced a prolific 2023/24 campaign, scoring more than 40 goals across EoSFL and BUCS football.
That return brought him to the attention of clubs higher up the pyramid, with Falkirk making their move in 2024. He spent the early part of this season on loan at Dunfermline Athletic, where eight goals in 12 games underlined his ability to adapt quickly. Falkirk brought him back into their own squad, and he carried that form into the Scottish Premiership, lifting his season’s total to 18 goals.
His progress has also been recognised individually, after he was named Scottish Football Writers’ Association Young Player of the Year this weekend. He was also shortlisted for the PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year award, which went to Rangers youngster Mikey Moore.
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