Derby County youngster Eiran Cashin has been the subject of interest from Premier League outfit Brighton & Hove Albion this summer, but the Seagulls could now swoop for a rival League One defender.
Paul Warne recently stated that the Europa League bound outfit had seen several bids rejected for Cashin over the course of the transfer window, none of which met the Rams’ valuation of the 21-year-old.
Midlands based journalist John Percy then revealed that Derby’s asking price for the young Irishman was upwards of £3million and that any deal which saw their academy graduate depart the club would also have to see him return on loan for the remainder of the season.
Seemingly, despite their wealth, the fee might have swayed Roberto De Zerbi’s side away from Cashin and towards fellow third tier centre-back Stephan Negru of Oxford United according to the Irish Mirror.
Also 21 years of age, Negru is able to represent either Moldova or Republic of Ireland on the international stage and has featured in four of Oxford’s five opening fixtures including the U’s 2-1 victory over Derby at Pride Park last Tuesday.
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Brighton are, however, set to launch another bid for the defender who won Derby’s Young Player of the Year award last season before fully diverting their attention to their newfound target.
This may come as welcome news to Rams supporters, though other factors must be considered when regarding this deal despite Cashin’s popularity.
What next for Cashin?
He is a player in the last year of his contract at Derby, having signed a two-year deal last summer, meaning that he would be able to leave for nothing but a tribunal fee if he was to see out this season in the East Midlands.
That is, of course, unless the Rams manage to tie him down to a new deal.
He could even leave on a pre-contract agreement in January should he not agree new terms with the club, so rejecting offers in the millions at this stage may be a decision that Derby live to regret.
It will be interesting to see how the higher ups at the club deal with this situation in the near future.