New Jaze Kabia twist revealed as Leyton Orient battle Plymouth Argyle from Grimsby star | OneFootball

Stoke City have been interested but Leyton Orient and Plymouth Argyle are set to learn the winner of the race for Grimsby Town striker Jaze Kabia.

Leyton Orient and Plymouth Argyle have been battling it out for Grimsby Town striker Jaze Kabia in recent days, having sold their respective centre-forwards to Bristol City.

Failure to secure promotion means selling some of your best players, with Leyton Orient having the top scorer in League One and Bristol City landing him after signing Lorent Tolaj.

Dom Ballard bagged 23 for Orient while Tolaj scored 18 for Plymouth Argyle. However, the pair were looking to League Two for their replacement, with Jaze Kabia of Grimsby eyed by Plymouth and Leyton Orient.

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Kabia could be perfect for Plymouth, but interest was always likely to be plentiful after an outstanding campaign in the fourth tier. The 25-year-old Irish striker bagged 24 goals and one assist in 57 games in all competitions last term, having scored 16 in 45 games in the National League South the season prior.

He has had a significant rise since moving to England from Cork City. Towards the end of the campaign, Kabia smashed in three in a 4-0 win against Swindon Town. He followed that up by bagging once in the play-off semi-final against Salford City.

Grimsby went out deep into extra time on aggregate and are looking to go again in League Two, but it will be without their best forward. That's because there is a winner in the race to secure his services from League One in Plymouth or Leyton Orient.

Journalist Pete O'Rourke has revealed Orient are in advanced talks with Grimsby over the striker, having targeted Kabia as a replacement for Ballard after he joined the Robins yesterday.

What this means for Plymouth Argyle's striker search

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Plymouth have Bim Pepple on their books currently but he could yet depart, with Argyle closing in on the signing of Mansfield Town striker Will Evans as well.

Per Sky Sports' Anthony Joseph, it’s understood the clubs have agreed a fee of £400,000, plus add-ons, for the 29-year-old attacker. That said, Pepple still remains likely to leave, with interest mounting in his services too.

That means two strikers are required and missing out on Kabia is a blow for Tom Cleverley, while Richie Wellens will be delighted to have acted so swiftly for Leyton Orient.

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Many fans have taken to X (formerly Twitter) to outline their thoughts, with one Leyton Orient fan stating: "Would be a quality signing for the right fee #lofc #gtfc"

A Bradford City fan added: "Orient are making serious moves this summer, definitely my dark horses for this season with Wellens at the helm. #LOFC"

A Plymouth fan added: "We had weeks to land him, can’t be too keen to get him."