Sources: West Brom and Sheffield Wednesday pushing to sign ex-Southampton star | OneFootball

The two Championship play-off hopefuls are pushing forward to sign Stuart Armstrong, Football League World has learned

West Bromwich Albion and Sheffield Wednesday are pushing hardest to secure a January deal for Stuart Armstrong, who has a host of second-tier interest, Football League World understands.

The 32-year-old midfielder is currently under contract with MLS outfit Vancouver Whitecaps, whom he joined only last September as a free agent after his release from Southampton.

Armstrong made 11 appearances for the Canadian side before the closure of the 2024 MLS campaign in November, with the new season set to initiate next month.

He is, however, best known for his time with both Celtic and Southampton, and appeared in all but four of the latter's 46 league outings in the Championship before his season was cut short by a serious injury, though Armstrong's haul of five goals and seven assists put the Saints on course to achieve promotion through the play-offs.

West Brom, Sheffield Wednesday pushing for Stuart Armstrong transfer agreement

Sources close to FLW have confirmed both Wednesday and Albion are pushing hardest to get a deal over the line for Armstrong this month. The 51-cap Scotland international is a Designated Player over in the MLS, meaning it may not be easy to convince Whitecaps to part ways.

Wednesday's interest was first called by The Sun's Alan Nixon, though FLW can now reveal the Owls are emerging among the frontrunners for his signature, along with West Brom.

As per a recent Patreon report from Nixon, ex-Southampton first-team coach and current Wednesday boss Danny Rohl wanted to reunite with Armstrong during the summer, and has now rekindled his interest after missing out on a move.

Last week, Nixon separately reported that automatic promotion hopefuls Burnley are keen on Armstrong. However, it does seem as though both the Owls and the Baggies are currently usurping Scott Parker's side in the race for his services.

Sheffield Wednesday could face Stuart Armstrong selection headache

Armstrong's pedigree and proven class means he could be an inspired mid-season pick-up for teams towards the top-end of the Championship. However, should Wednesday continue to plug away and end up acquiring the Scotsman, Rohl could well face a dilemma about just where to select him.

Wednesday's midfield engine room is well-stocked, with long-serving veteran Barry Bannan and Southampton loan star Shea Charles currently forming the German's double-pivot.

Wednesday have operated with a 4-4-2 on occasion, a formation which Armstrong would not fit into. However, in a different formation, he would be an upgrade on Svante Ingelsson, for example, in the attacking midfield spot if Wednesday were to intend on playing him further forward.