Any Lincoln City hopes of signing striker Barney Stewart appear to have taken a blow, as the Express and Star reports a Championship rival is still keen on the Falkirk striker.
West Brom look to have closed in on Chelsea striker Jimmy-Jay Morgan, which gave the Imps hope, and Falkirk added Ethan Laidlaw to their squad, possibly freeing up Stewart for a move.
Those elements seemed to add hope for the Imps, who are hoping to add a couple of new faces to the squad ahead of the upcoming Championship campaign. Stewart, who scored 10 goals in just half a season with the SPFL side, is a reported target, but it seems the Baggies have other ideas.
Unconfirmed reports suggest a move is close, but Matt Maher doesn’t quite go that far. He suggests that James Morrison’s side is hoping to complete the double striker swoop and is looking to do the business quickly. That is ominous for the Imps, as he is a local journalist and one unlikely to be spreading agent-led speculation.
The hunt was always going to be challenging for City, even if we were willing to spend the £1m or more that Falkirk want for his services. That was the value of the first West Brom bid, which got turned down, but if a bidding war started, we could be quickly outpriced.
There is also the question of wages: while we’re comfortable spending a significant fee, we’re not likely to match the bigger clubs in the division on wages. The club will likely be future-proofing against any possible football misfortune and, therefore, looking to remain within a sensible wage structure. It was the system we applied in League One and likely the same system we’ll apply in the Championship.
Nothing has been confirmed yet, but it does feel like a West Brom move for Stewart is close.
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