Derby County are seriously struggling to sign a new striker in the final week of the transfer window.
The Rams have not had the best start to life back in the Championship under Paul Warne.
A shock 1-0 win over Middlesbrough, which saw Derby County handed the only goal of the game via an Isaiah Jones error, was sandwiched between defeats to Blackburn Rovers and Watford.
Derby lost to Barrow in midweek as well, putting an end to their very brief 2024/25 League Cup run.
With it clear their squad is still not complete despite nine summer signings already being made, the Derbyshire outfit are aiming to bring in at least one more player before deadline day.
Warne has been frustrated by Derby’s attempts to sign a striker, explaining the club are struggling to bring in a new forward as there is a lot of competition from other teams.
Despite the issues, the newly-promoted outfit continue to be linked with more names ahead of Friday.
- READ MORE: Three last-minute transfers that Paul Warne needs Derby County to make this week before deadline
Derby face competition for striker from Wrexham
Derby hold an interest in Tom Cannon but the likes of Luton Town and Sheffield United are also vying for the striker’s signature.
Cannon is likely to cost a fair bit and the £7m fee being floated around will probably prove too much for Warne’s team.
More recently, meanwhile, it was claimed that Derby have enquired about Championship striker Will Keane.
Keane is currently plying his trade with Preston North End, for whom he has scored 16 goals in 65 appearances.
The forward has also been called up to the Republic of Ireland national team, where former manager Stephen Kenny described the 31-year-old as ‘intelligent’, as per the Irish Mirror.
Cardiff City and West Bromich Albion are thought to hold an interest in Keane as well, while League One outfit Wrexham saw a club-record bid for the player rejected recently, as per journalist Pete O’Rourke.
- READ MORE: Dream end to Derby County transfer window as new striker signs and Dajaune Brown heads on loan
Derby County missing out on Will Keane to Wrexham could prove damning
Should Derby lose out on Keane to a League One side, it could end up being seriously damning to their Championship survival hopes.
It is evident after just three games of 2024/25 that the Rams are going to struggle in the Championship, especially if a new striker is not signed this week.
Kayden Jackson and Jerry Yates joined the club earlier this summer but both have looked ineffective in the second tier.
Jackson’s only league goal for Derby so far was handed to him and Yates is yet to get off the mark in the league.
If the duo remain Warne’s primary centre-forward options until January at a minimum, their chances of being relegated will greatly increase.
As a result, it is imperative they do whatever they can to beat Wrexham, and any other interested clubs, to Keane.