Credit: Imago

Aheed Abrar

Sat 23 May 2026 7:10, UK

West Bromwich Albion may be preparing for Josh Maja to leave ahead of the upcoming transfer window.

The Nigeria international’s current contract at The Hawthorns expires at the end of June and the Baggies are in talks with him over extending it.

With the likes of Jed Wallace and Daryl Dike being released, the Albion may a few more key players depart if they can’t come to an agreement with them.

Karlan Grant is also in talks with West Brom to extend his stay beyond this season, but it remains to be seen what the future holds.

Maja’s career at The Hawthorns has stalled since his injury last year, but there’s no doubt he has the potential to get back to his best in B71.

West Brom to replace Josh Maja with Barney Stewart

It looks like West Brom are already preparing for the possibility of Maja’s exit by looking to sign Falkirk striker Barney Stewart in the summer.

The 22-year-old has enjoyed an enormous rise in Scottish football over the last few years and ended up scoring 10 goals in all competitions for the Bairns after returning from loan in January.

Stewart is delighted with links to The Hawthorns, but it isn’t surprising to see the Albion keeping an eye on him after a stellar few months at Falkirk.

The 22-year-old Scotland Under-21 international has shown immense potential and a move for him could suggest a change in the Black Country outfit’s transfer policy heading into the 2026-27 campaign.

James Morrison has clear transfer priority at The Hawthorns

If West Brom have any ambition of winning Premier League promotion in the coming years, they need a reliable goalscorer in their ranks.

Aune Heggebo’s debut season at The Hawthorns was hit and miss, with the Norway international scoring nine league goals in 46 appearances.

The 24-year-old will surely hope to do better next season, but the Albion now have a chance to add more goals to their squad.

If Maja ends up leaving, it could potentially be a blessing in disguise for Bikul Football to finally go into the market and get their recruitment right by backing James Morrison with a new number nine.