West Brom’s Karlan Grant tipped for potential Hawthorns exit - Barnsley, Oxford United, Portsmouth should plot swoops | OneFootball

Karlan Grant has just six months remaining on his current West Brom deal, who may look to cash in this January before it expires

West Bromwich Albion forward Karlan Grant is out of contract with the Baggies this coming summer, and they may look to move him on in the upcoming January window instead of risking losing him for nothing upon its expiry.

Having come through the academy at Charlton Athletic, joining the Addicks in 2009, former England youth international Grant spent ten years with the South East London side, making 98 appearances for the club across all competitions, scoring 21 times and grabbing nine assists.

Grant would head out on loan spells with both Cambridge United and Crawley Town before certifying himself in the Addicks' first team with the club still in League One, where he scored 14 times and grabbed four assists in 28 third-tier games during the 2018/19 season.

This earned him a move to then-Premier League side Huddersfield Town for a reported £2 million fee, where he scored four times in 13 top-flight games after making the jump from League One, and upon the Terriers' relegation, Grant would remain with them, becoming their star man in the Championship.

The forward hit 19 goals and four assists in the 2019/20 season for Huddersfield, earning a mammoth £15 million move to West Brom the following summer, signing a six-year deal with the Baggies - and he's into the last year of that bumper deal now.

Grant has since made over 150 appearances for West Brom, scoring over 30 times and grabbing ten assists, but this season, with his game-time taking a significant hit, he could leave before he has the chance to see out his deal.

With the likes of Mikey Johnston, Samuel Iling-Junior, Daryl Dike, Aune Heggebo, Josh Maja, Jed Wallace, and Issac Price all vying for game time in attacking positions, Grant may be left with no other option but to leave sooner rather than later, and Football League World has picked out three clubs that should be monitoring his situation closely.

Barnsley

Under former Aston Villa and Derby County midfielder Conor Hourihane, Barnsley have struggled to hit consistent form in League One this season.

Hourihane took charge of Barnsley on an interim basis in March 2025 and would subsequently sign a two-year agreement to take charge of the Tykes on a permanent basis the following month.

Adding the likes of David McGoldrick and Reyes Cleary to an attack already containing Davis Keillor-Dunn this summer seemed like a foregone conclusion that Barnsley would have the quality to outscore the majority of teams in League One more often than not.

However, McGoldrick has netted just twice all season, and with Barnsley sitting in 11th after 13 games, they are in real danger of slipping into another season of mid-table mediocrity.

A move for someone like Grant would not only be a statement of intent, but it would also get fans on side, signing a proven scorer at that level who possesses the ability to win games on their own, and at a cut-price deal - although you'd have to imagine that Grant will need to take a considerable cut on his wages, given Capology estimate him to be on £20,000 a week in the West Midlands.

Oxford United

Oxford have one of the smallest budgets in the Championship, making it extraordinarily difficult to compete with sides who have naturally superior funds.

However, under former Birmingham City, Stoke City, and Millwall boss Gary Rowett, the U's have solidified themselves as a steady team in the English second tier, having comfortably survived relegation last season.

This year, however, whilst they still sit just above the relegation zone in 21st, alarm bells will be ringing, with both Sheffield United and Norwich City beneath them, who you would expect to overtake them at some stage, given their vastly superior resources.

Attack has not been a particular issue for Oxford. Though 16 goals from 15 league matches is certainly not what you would hope for a side wanting to comfortably stay up.

With the likes of Filip Krastev, Nik Prelec, and Will Lankshear all lacking significant Championship experience, someone like Grant could come in and immediately improve their attacking options, whilst also providing vast experience of the league, something that Rowett will absolutely value.

Pompey, like Oxford, comfortably survived last season in the Championship, having been promoted to the second tier in 2024.

Under John Mousinho, Portsmouth have become a solid team in the English second division on a relatively small budget, with signings such as John Swift, Josef Bursik, Min-Hyeok Yang, Adrian Segecic and Conor Chaplin this summer all proving to be savvy bits of business on paper.

However, it's not really quite clicked on the pitch though, and goal-scoring has proven to be a clear issue at Fratton Park this campaign so far, finding the back of the net just 12 times from 15 games, leaving them with the joint-worst attack in the division alongside Sheffield Wednesday.

Colby Bishop has failed to continue his goal-scoring form from last season, having netted just once so far, and the addition of someone like Grant would, without a doubt, be a welcome one.

Grant would link back up with former West Brom team-mate Swift on the south coast and would prove competition to the likes of Josh Murphy, Callum Lang, Segecic, Yang, Chaplin, and Bishop in attack, and he could potentially have a fresh start a bit closer to home.