Barnsley and Wigan Athletic have become the latest sides to join the fierce chase to sign a new forward before the summer transfer window comes to a close.
Darrell Clarke’s Barnsley kicked off their 2024/25 campaign with a defeat against Mansfield Town but have since responded with a 2-1 victory against Michael Skubala’s Lincoln City.
Meanwhile, Wigan have lost both of their opening League One matches against Charlton Athletic and Reading, all without scoring a league goal.
Both Barnsley and Wigan have already met once this season, with the former beating the latter 4-2 on penalties in the EFL Cup, following a 1-1 draw.
The race for Young heats up
As reported by journalist Alan Nixon, Wigan Athletic and Barnsley have become the latest sides to express an interest in Bradford City striker Jake Young.
Young has already been the subject of interest from Crawley Town and Stevenage, but now two further League One sides have joined the race to sign the £300,000 rated forward.
How did he fare last season?
Young began the 2023/24 campaign out on loan at fellow League Two side Swindon Town, where he became a goalscoring superstar, netting an eye-catching 16 goals in 26 appearances.
This included him scoring four goals and gaining an assist during a 6-0 victory against Crawley Town in August 2023.
Following the impressive nature of his performances, Young was recalled by Bradford City to try and bolster their play-off aspirations.
With the Bantams, Young made just five further appearances but failed to contribute to a goal.
Is a deal likely for either side?
Wigan are yet to score a league goal so far this season, whilst Barnsley have had a mixed start to their campaign.
Elsewhere, Bradford City have their eyes on Wigan Athletic midfielder Joe Adams, which could act as a potential swap deal, providing all parties are in agreement.
With Young not featuring in either of Bradford’s league matches so far this season, it appears as though an exit could be likely before the window closes.