Derby County will need all the help they can get when it comes to avoiding relegation from the Championship.
The Rams finished second in League One in 2023/24, earning themselves a place in England’s second division for the coming campaign.
Derby County have not played in the Championship for two years and are expected to be among the favourites to go down in 2024/25.
In a bid to prevent this from happening, Paul Warne has been active in the summer transfer market.
Derby’s most recent signing, David Ozoh, has received praise for his showing in the club’s latest friendly outing against Barnsley on July 31st.
In the same tie, Warne heaped praise on Kayden Jackson, another new addition at Pride Park this summer.
All told, Derby have so far signed seven new first-team players – four midfielders, one winger and two centre-forwards.
But as they prepare to make the step up to the Championship, the Derby boss continues to eye even more summer additions.
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Paul Warne confirms Derby County transfer discussion
Derby are interested in Sunderland midfielder Elliot Embleton, but face competition from League One side Blackpool.
The Rams are also front runners in race for Karamoko Dembele but Sheffield Wednesday and Portsmouth remain keen on the player.
Now, a fresh target could potentially be on his way to Derbyshire before the close of the transfer window.
As per Derbyshire Live, Warne has spoken to one club about a player, which is understood to be in the Premier League, as he aims to add to his striker ranks.
The player in question would ‘improve them massively’, according to Warne, but a deal is unlikely to be complete before Derby’s season opener on August 9th.
He said: “I spoke to a club this week about a player I really want to sign.
“I don’t think, even if I am allowed to sign him, that it would get done for the first game of the season so I don’t think that will happen.
“There is another couple boiling away, but I don’t hold all the cards and I am at the fate of the teams concerned.”
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Why Derby County may struggle without new signing
Derby have struggled to find a quality striker who can hit 20+ goals a season.
The Rams ended 2023/24 as the joint-fifth-top scorers in League One, despite their second-place finish.
Furthermore, not a single player from the club cracked the top ten of the League One top-scorer chart last term.
James Collins came closest with 14 goals but he is now 33 years old and not expected to be anywhere near as prolific in the Championship.
Jackson has looked decent in pre-season but has been deployed on the wings instead of through the middle.
And while Warne may have wanted Jerry Yates to lead the line, he is suspended for Derby’s meeting with Blackburn Rovers.
As a result, the Rams will be short of striking options unless they can get a new name through the door before next weekend.