Barnsley have made an offer to sign Niall Ennis and Stoke City are willing to let him go if they can bring in a new striker before the transfer deadline, TEAMtalk can exclusively reveal.
Ennis made 13 appearances for Blackburn Rovers in the first half of last season before joining Stoke in the winter transfer window.
The Potters announced Ennis’ arrival on February 1 after agreeing to pay Blackburn an undisclosed fee for his services and agreeing a two-and-a-half-year contract with the forward.
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Ennis has so far played 16 times for Stoke, with two of those outings coming this season. However, the 25-year-old has already received an approach to leave Steven Schumacher’s side.
Sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk that Barnsley are pushing to sign Ennis on a season-long loan.
Stoke sporting director Jonathan Walters is prepared to offload Ennis to make room for a new striker in the squad.
Stoke have made a number of impressive signings already this summer, but club chiefs know they need to land a reliable goalscorer in order to make the season a success.
Amid uncertainty over moves for Tom Cannon and Jay Stansfield, Stoke are eyeing up a left-field option to bolster their forward line, with TEAMtalk exclusively revealing Stoke are plotting a move for Brisbane Roar striker Thomas Waddingham.
Stoke City transfers: Niall Ennis to be replaced
Waddingham is only 19, though, and Stoke want to bring in a senior striker irrespective of the potential arrival of the Australian.
Tyrese Campbell and Wesley have both departed from last season’s strike pool, while summer signing Sam Gallagher is out injured and teenager Nathan Lowe has been allowed to sign for Walsall on loan.
Ryan Mmaee is in Schumacher’s squad too, but he is still working his way back to full fitness. That has meant Emre Tezgel starting the first two Championship games up front, but the 18-year-old is still getting used to senior football after gaining promotion from the club’s academy recently.
Stoke have signed promising young attacker Lewis Koumas on loan from Liverpool, and he could be an option at centre-forward even though he generally likes to operate on the left flank.
But Stoke are desperately trying to follow up on Koumas’ signing with the addition of Waddingham and a frontline No 9, with Ennis poised to make way.
Walters has been busy in the transfer market and has completed the superb loan signing of England U20 centre-back Ashley Phillips from Tottenham Hotspur, too.
That comes after TEAMtalk broke the news on Thursday that Stoke were advancing in their talks to snare Phillips amid interest from several other clubs.
But what the Potters can do in the strike department before the deadline is likely to play a large role in how their season pans out.