It has emerged that a clutch of Championship clubs are interested in securing the services of Hibernian FC striker, Kieron Bowie.
According to Football Insider, sides in the second tier are closely monitoring the forward alongside the Edinburgh club’s divisional rivals and Old Firm giants, Celtic and Rangers.
Sides in both Italy and Belgium also reportedly hold an interest in signing the 23-year-old frontman, who has been in fine form for Hibs under David Gray in the opening months of the campaign.
The striker had moved to Easter Road for a “significant fee” from Premier League side, Fulham, in the summer of 2024 after previously spending time out on loan with Northampton Town during the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons, scoring 14 times and providing a further nine assists for the Cobblers.
However, in the 49 appearances that followed a return to Scotland, Bowie has already racked up the same total of goals, with eight of them coming across all competitions so far this season.
Given their struggles so far this term, both Celtic and Rangers have been heavily linked with a move for the two-time Tartan Army international, who will be hoping his form is enough to secure a spot in Steve Clarke’s upcoming World Cup squad.
It remains to be seen what the coming weeks hold for the exciting striker, but Football League World have identified THREE Championship clubs who should be on red alert regarding this transfer situation.
Birmingham City
It is set to be an extremely busy transfer window for Birmingham City, whilst Chris Davies will hope a reshuffle to his squad can aid a late push for the play-offs.
Blues, of course, were extremely active in the summer, with 14 players arriving, and, on the flipside, Football League World understand as many as eight departures could be sanctioned in the coming weeks.
Despite being able to call upon the likes of Jay Stansfield, Marvin Ducksch, Kyogo Furuhashi and Lyndon Dykes, uncertainty still hangs over the latter duo, with Bowie’s international counterpart continuing to attract interest whilst Kyogo’s woes in front of goal have been well-documented.
Although Blues have been known to adopt a possession-orientated style under Davies, a direct approach was particularly successful against Coventry City, and that is a style which Bowie would suit down to the ground with his physicality and power.
“It’s a rough game up here compared to down in England and I’m ready for the challenge. That’s part of my game, I like to batter people about and it’s exciting especially with bigger defenders,” Bowie said of himself in 2024.
It has been reported that Birmingham are in the market for a striker, and whilst no names have surfaced beyond a potential reunion with Che Adams, another SPFL-themed link for the former Celtic assistant may be considered at this point.
Ipswich Town
Despite boasting an extremely strong squad by Championship standards, it seems apparent that Kieran McKenna still wants to add further bodies to a formidable frontline at Ipswich Town.
Whilst the wing duo of Jaden Philogene and Jack Clarke have stolen most of the goalscoring headlines, the Northern Irishman’s natural centre-forward options have, perhaps, not as fired as many times as the Town boss would have liked.
Indeed, George Hirst is currently the club’s third-highest marksman with four league goals, whilst Chuba Akpom and Ivan Azon have accumulated the same tally between them with two apiece.
The Tractor Boys have held a recent interest in Sheffield United’s Patrick Bamford, with the two-time promotion winner scoring five times in just 10 appearances at Bramall Lane thus far, although Chris Wilder’s side are set to extend the 32-year-old’s contract ahead of Ipswich.
Meanwhile, the aforementioned Dykes has also emerged as a loan target. As such, whilst a loan would, more than likely, be out of the question, Bowie could be viewed as another option as McKenna looks to add another string to his bow.
However, it could also be debated that Bowie may view the aforementioned pool of current strikers as a stumbling block if Ipswich were to pursue a deal, as guaranteed minutes and a continuation of his form will be imperative towards landing a spot in Scotland’s World Cup squad.
Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic are one of the division’s lowest-scoring sides at present, with no Addicks player scoring more than five goals so far this season.
Charlie Kelman has recently begun to showcase why the club parted with £5m to secure his services from Queens Park Rangers, whilst Isaac Olaofe has struggled to make the step-up in class thus far and Matty Godden still remains sidelined.
As such, it was no real surprise when the South London side became linked with Dykes themselves last week, with Jones’ style of play suiting a player of such physical attributes and pace down to the ground.
However, with it remaining to be seen what occurs with the Australian-born Scotland international, his compatriot, Bowie, could be viewed as a viable alternative, although a bidding war may also drive up the price which Hibs are able to command, as the 23-year-old is still under contract in Edinburgh until June 2028.