On Wednesday afternoon, Stevenage completed the loan signing of Bradford City centre-forward Vadaine Oliver until the end of the season but the 32-year-old could just be the first of two strikers set to leave Valley Parade this winter.
It was reported by journalist Alan Nixon earlier in the month that League One outfits Port Vale and Exeter City were keen to sign Bantams star striker Jake Young before the January transfer window slams shut.
Young spent the first half of the campaign on loan with League Two club Swindon Town, having scored 16 goals and recorded four assists in 20 appearances for the Robins which is an average of 0.77 goal contributions per game.
📽️🔴 pic.twitter.com/RlcRj5KOFM
— Jake Young (@jakeyoung_01) January 3, 2024
The 22-year-old has been ruled out of action recently with an injury problem, but Bradford head coach Graham Alexander recently admitted that Young will feature for the side upon return from the sidelines. It was also reported by the Telegraph and Argus that the former Premier League club rejected a bid from a League One side for the number ‘9’.
News had gone quiet on Young’s potential exit from the Valley Parade over the past few days. However, The Yorkshire Post published a fresh report on Thursday morning that both Exeter City and Port Vale “remain keen” on signing the young forward before the winter market closes at the beginning of February.
Carlisle United manager Paul Simpson also chimed in with his thoughts on the transfer saga, claiming that the Cumbrian side are interested in adding Young to the squad this month but that Bradford City are asking for a “ridiculous” fee for the player.
Writer’s View
Young currently has a market value of between ÂŁ257k-343k, as per FootballTransfers, but Simpson’s quotes on Wednesday night allude to Bradford asking for a lot more for the player, especially as his contract doesn’t expire for another 18 months, meaning the Bantams are in no rush to sell the attacker.
Carlisle United, Port Vale and Exeter City are all in the bottom eight of League One when it comes to goals scored and so a prolific striker like Young could be the difference between them staying up and going down. However, Bradford hold all the cards at the moment so a deal may be unlikely unless the club drop their asking price.
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