Stoke City keen on prolific EFL forward - Plymouth Argyle are set to be transfer rival | OneFootball

Stoke and Plymouth have both set their sights on the signing of the Grimsby Town forward

Stoke City have been unable to sustain a promotion push this season, falling into the bottom half of the table.

The Potters were in the mix for a top six finish in the first half of the campaign, but their form in the second half took them out of the mix.

The club have not finished inside the top half of the Championship since suffering relegation from the Premier League in 2018, with their best finish being a couple of 14th places in 2021 and 2022.

Robins will be expecting a busy summer ahead as he looks to build a team capable of improving on this term.

Stoke will go into the final round of fixtures five points adrift of 12th place Preston North End, consigning them to the bottom 12.

As a result of their disappointing form, work is likely already underway on potential signings that could be made in the upcoming transfer window.

Stoke City and Plymouth Argyle eyeing Grimsby Town striker

It has been reported by Football Insider that Stoke are keen on the signing of Jaze Kabia from Grimsby Town this summer.

The 25-year-old has impressed in League Two since his move in the summer from non-league Truro City, helping David Artell’s side fight for a play-off place going into the final weekend of the campaign.

The Irishman has contributed 17 goals and two assists from 45 appearances in the fourth tier, as well as a further five goals in cup competitions, and he could now be offered a route to the Championship through Stoke.

However, the Potters are understood to be facing competition from League One play-off chasers Plymouth Argyle in the race for his signature.

There are also believed to be a number of unnamed second and third division sides monitoring his situation ahead of the summer transfer window.

Kabia has just 12 months remaining on his current Grimsby contract, leading to speculation over his future at Blundell Park, given his spectacular fourth tier form.

The Pilgrims could be in need of a replacement for Lorent Tolaj, with the forward attracting a lot of attention ahead of the end of the campaign.

Derby County and Millwall have emerged as the latest clubs to show an interest in the Swiss star, as well as several other second tier clubs being in the mix, indicating his future could be away from Home Park.

Grimsby are reportedly open to Kabia's departure for the right price, despite the fact they are still battling for promotion to League One.

Plymouth Argyle will need goals if Lorent Tolaj departs - Kabia may suit them better than Stoke City

Given he's moved out wide in recent months for Grimsby and unlocked a new purple patch of goalscoring form, Kabia may not be a like-for-like replacement at Plymouth for Tolaj, given that he's leading the line at Home Park with Aribim Pepple through the middle.

However, Tom Cleverley’s side will need somebody capable of replacing Tolaj's goals should they decide to cash in whilst his stock is high, and Kabia has shown he can consistently find the back of the net this season in different roles.

They have both scored 17 times this season in league action, so it’s really no surprise that the Devon outfit are taking a look at him.

It may be a big ask for him to jump from League Two to the Championship, which makes Plymouth perhaps the safer option for him if he leaves Grimsby this summer in comparison to Stoke, but the Mariners of course would need to be compensated adequately - and of course, Town could end up being in the same division as Plymouth in 2026-27.