Derby County could be about to make their first signing of the January window.
Derby County have been on the hunt for new attackers this month, but are yet to land any of their desired targets.
Sheffield Wednesday striker Michael Smith was one name who looked extremely close to making the switch to Pride Park, but his arrival doesn’t look much closer to being confirmed.
However, The Rams do look to be closing in on Charlton Athletic’s Corey Blackett-Taylor this week.
The Midlands outfit already saw a £250,000 bid rejected for the winger, however Derbyshire Live have claimed that Derby could actually confirm their new signing as soon as today.
Journalist Leigh Curtis said: “Derby will hope to officially confirm the transfer of Corey Blackett-Taylor over the next 48 hours and he will undoubtedly be a brilliant addition to the frontline.
“Mendez-Laing and Barkhuizen both played here at Sincil Bank, but there was nobody on the bench with their kind of skillset. Tyreece John-Jules did veer out to the left on occasion when he entered the fray, but he is not your archetypal wide player.
“The Blackett-Taylor transfer therefore does make perfect sense. Warne has long demanded pace and athleticism out wide and in that respect – and fair play to Derby’s hierarchy – it is a clever and canny transfer move.”
Is Corey Blackett-Taylor what Derby County need?
Corey Blackett-Taylor joined Charlton Athletic in 2021 and has really begun to find his feet in League One over the last couple of years.
The 26-year-old netted eight goals in the third tier last season and has already matched his tally this time round, while he has doubled his assists to six.
Nathaniel Mendez-Laing has been brilliant for the most part this season, but it is clear they are missing another wide threat to help out James Collins up top.
Tom Barkhuizen and Tyreece John-Jules have often occupied the right wing, but the pair have only netted five goals between them.
Blackett-Taylor will provide Paul Warne with some much-needed options in his frontline, and hopefully he will be the missing piece of the puzzle to help boost their promotion hopes.
Meanwhile, The Rams will be eager to get a deal for Michael Smith over the line too. Collins has impressed so far, but could really do with some decent competition, and Smith is exactly that.
The 32-year-old has 75 goals and 29 assists in 257 games in League One, while he has also won promotion three times.