West Brom close in on Barney Stewart transfer, his backstory is remarkable
West Bromwich Albion are reportedly growing in confidence over striking a deal for Falkirk striker Barney Stewart, who has a remarkable story to tell.
With the summer transfer window now officially open, West Brom don't appear to be wasting any time.
Chelsea striker Jimmy-Jay Morgan is reportedly in advanced talks to sign for Albion, and they seemingly aren't stopping there when it comes to bolstering the forward line.
Stewart has been linked with a move to The Hawthorns this summer, with the 22-year-old having scored eight goals in 17 Scottish Premiership appearances for Falkirk last season.
After waving goodbye to Daryl Dike and potentially still Josh Maja, James Morrison knows he needs to replenish his attacking ranks ahead of the 2026-27 season.
Should they land Stewart, the Baggies wouldn't only be getting an ascending young centre-forward, but one that has been on a very unique journey during his career so far.
West Brom 'hopeful' of Barney Stewart deal
If the pace of which West Brom are moving on the transfer front so far is anything to go by, then Baggies fans are in for an exciting summer ahead.
No new arrivals are officially through the door yet, but that looks set to change imminently.
According to a report from the Express & Star on Monday, West Brom are "hopeful" that they'll soon complete a deal with Falkirk to land Stewart.
The same is also said for Morgan, with the 20-year-old having shone on loan with League One side Peterborough United last season, scoring 14 goals and providing three assists from 39 games.
Stewart had initially spent the first half of the 2025-26 season on loan with Scottish Championship outfit Dunfermline Athletic, where he scored eight times in 12 games.
As such, he was swiftly recalled by Falkirk and immediately elevated to a starring first-team role, netting a hat-trick against Hibernian in just his fourth appearance after being summoned back to his parent club.
Stewart's rise from university scholar to Scotland international
Despite spending some time with QPR as a youngster, Stewart didn't make it with the R's or at any academy level during his youth.
Instead, he largely played for boys' clubs and school teams in West London, as well as competing in rugby union and even Gaelic football.
However, when it came time for him to make a decision on where he was going to study at university, he spent some time visiting Edinburgh where his father was raised.
As detailed in a report from Midlothian View, Stewart had a family friend who worked at Heriot-Watt University, and thus was invited to train with their university team.
But, in an amazing piece of possible divine intervention, storms and bad weather at the time meant his flight back to London was cancelled.
Stewart was asked to stand-in for Heriot-Watt in a friendly match with official fixtures being cancelled also, and he impressed so much that it helped him to earn a place on their footballing scholarship programme.
Accepting that offer in 2022, Stewart went on to help Heriot-Watt earn promotion to the East of Scotland Football League first division, and his performances soon caught the attention of scouts from professional clubs.
October 2024 saw Stewart sign a professional deal with Falkirk, where he completed his university degree by being loaned back out to Heriot-Watt until January 2025.
He's since gone on to play 38 times for Falkirk and has scored 12 goals, and since November 2025, he's also made four caps for Scotland at Under-21 level.