Exclusive: Plymouth Argyle & Barnsley eyeing Huddersfield Town transfer swoop | OneFootball

Herbie Kane - a player fans of both Barnsley and Plymouth know very well - is being looked at as a transfer option for both clubs

Barnsley and Plymouth Argyle are set to battle it out to sign a player from League One rival Huddersfield Town, Football League World can exclusively reveal.

The EFL transfer window is into its final stages, with less than a week to go for clubs to get their deals done until January - apart from the potential of dipping into the free agents market.

It’s not just signings clubs will be looking to make though, with others looking to cut their numbers to trim the wage bill and also to make room for new recruits, and for Huddersfield, they may have found more than one taker for a fringe player with no future at the Accu Stadium.

Huddersfield Town midfielder Herbie Kane in-demand from League One clubs

FLW understands that Terriers midfielder Herbie Kane is being eyed up by two of his former clubs with just six days remaining in the transfer window.

The 27-year-old, who is a graduate of the Liverpool academy system, has not appeared yet for Huddersfield under new head coach Martin Drury in their three league and cup matches so far in 2026-27, having slipped further down the pecking order this summer with the signings of Brentford's Ethan Brierley and Peterborough United star Archie Collins.

Kane has appeared just 41 times in two years for the West Yorkshire outfit since he moved from Barnsley on a free transfer in 2024, and the Tykes are one of the clubs that FLW can reveal are keen on signing the creative midfielder before the deadline.

Barnsley eyeing Herbie Kane deal - six years after 7-figure swoop

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Barnsley splashed out a fee of £1.25 million back in 2020 as a Championship club to sign Kane from Liverpool, which came after he'd taken in loan spells with Doncaster Rovers and Hull City.

The Bristol-born midfielder had mixed success at Oakwell, being loaned out to League One side Oxford United for the entirety of the 2021-22 campaign, but he did have an impressive showing in 2023-24 with nine third tier goals and five assists, which led to him assessing his options at the end of his contract and ultimately choosing Huddersfield.

It's not gone to plan at Town for Kane though, and Barnsley are believed to hold an interest in bringing him back to the club under Daniel Stendel, who left his first stint as manager less than a year prior to the midfielder's first arrival.

Stendel has lost youngster Vimal Yoganathan to injury for a number of weeks and is seeking additional depth in his engine room, with Kane a live target - but they'll have to battle a divisional rival for his services.

Plymouth Argyle want Herbie Kane back after 2025-26 stint

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Plymouth Argyle are also keen on signing Kane - even though last year's loan stint in Devon ended prematurely.

Pilgrims boss Tom Cleverley took Kane on loan on deadline day of the mid-season transfer window of 2025-26, which came after the midfielder had spent months on the sideline with a groin injury following starting the campaign in Lee Grant's starting 11 at Huddersfield.

He suffered a setback just three appearances into his time at Home Park with a hamstring complaint, but he managed to rack up eight appearances, one goal and two assists under Cleverley, picking up 16 points out of a possible 24 when he was playing.

Kane's season ended early though at the start of April, suffering a torn hamstring to sideline him for months, with Cleverley describing him as "outstanding" during his temporary stint at Argyle, claiming that the ex-Liverpool man brought "what we didn't really have, that sort of calmness and possession in midfield."