According to Sky Sports, Derby County are in the race to sign striker Uche Ikpeazu following Wycombe Wanderers’ relegation.
The Chairboys signed Ikpeazu from Heart of Midlothian last summer, and he could be on the move again this summer.
Ikpeazu, 26, hit six goals in 31 Championship games last season and even added three assists in a decent campaign.
Ikpeazu is a nightmare for defenders, because he’s a huge physical presence with great work rate and more mobility than you’d expect.
A classic target man, Ikpeazu may not be flashy, but defenders hate to play against him – and that may be what Wayne Rooney wants.
The problem for Derby is that three other Championship clubs want Ikpeazu; Middlesbrough, Millwall and bitter rivals Nottingham Forest are also keen.
Ikpeazu still has two years left on his deal with Wycombe, but having dropped into League One, he is described as being an ‘affordable option’ for Championship clubs.
Derby need to recruit strikers, and whilst Ikpeazu isn’t a prolific goalscorer, he could be a battering ram in attack to give Rooney a really physical dimension up top.
After all, Steven Gerrard once branded Ikpeazu ‘unplayable’ and a ‘real handful’, with the striker now potentially set to play for Gerrard’s former England teammate Rooney.