Stoke City are set to be busy in the final month of the transfer window as boss Steven Schumacher shapes his new-look squad ahead of his first full campaign in charge.
Schumacher will be hoping to build on a strong end to last season in the coming months, as Stoke staved off relegation and finished 17th in the Championship in 2023/24.
Stoke have brought in four new faces to the club so far, with goalkeeper Viktor Johansson, centre-back Ben Gibson, wing-back Eric Bocat and striker Sam Gallagher arriving from Rotherham United, Norwich City, Sint-Truiden and Blackburn Rovers respectively.
The Potters are yet to sell any player for a transfer fee, but will be prepared to allow for some departures before the transfer window closes, and one of those could be midfielder Lewis Baker.
Baker has been touted with a move to fellow Championship side Blackburn in recent weeks, and could well leave for Ewood Park soon given his overall lack of influence on Schumacher’s side since his arrival last December.
Following those links, reports have emerged that both clubs are discussing a swap deal between Baker and Rovers enforcer Lewis Travis, but are seemingly locked in negotiations over a fee for each player.
Stoke should definitely pursue a swap as soon as possible, as a move in the coming weeks would allow both players to become accustomed to their new surroundings and teammates, and a deal definitely makes sense for both players, with Baker not a guaranteed starter under Schumacher, and Travis seemingly wanting to leave following a loan away to Ipswich Town in January.
Lewis Baker and Lewis Travis swap deal latest between Stoke City & Blackburn Rovers
Talk of a Stoke exit for Baker is nothing new – TEAMtalk revealed in January that Stoke were open to offers for the 29-year-old just a month after Schumacher’s appointment and his return from a serious knee injury, but he stayed at the club to see out the season and could instead leave this summer.
Despite his slight resurgence in 2023/24, it does seem as if Schumacher is still open to allowing him to depart after two-and-a-half years at the club, and transfer journalist Alan Nixon was the first to report on Blackburn’s interest in his signature on July 21, as he stated that boss John Eustace hoped to sign him, while hinting at a possible swap deal if Schumacher was interested.
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