According to Fotospor, Derby County have made an approach to sign Besiktas defender Nicolas Isimat-Mirin following his disappointing spell in Turkey.
The French defender spent four years at PSV Eindhoven, winning three titles.
But after current Derby boss Phillip Cocu departed PSV, Isimat-Mirin fell out of favour under his successor Mark van Bommel and joined Besiktas in January 2019.
He managed just a handful of games for the Turkish giants, later joining Toulouse last summer on a year-long loan deal disrupted by the global health pandemic.
The latest reports in Turkey claim Besiktas will likely sell him this summer. And, former manager Cocu will look to ‘save’ him after making an official approach.
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Isimat-Mirin enjoyed great success under Cocu, telling PSVfans of his admiration.
I know that that doesn’t happen often in football [Phillip Cocu’s lengthy spell as PSV boss]. I am very happy to work with him every day. He pushes me to get the best out of me every day, I appreciate that. He tries to excite me, so I don’t go through the motions and I have to stay sharp.
Derby County’s defensive situation:
Derby will look to make a new central defender a priority this summer.
After the Richard Keogh incident last September, the Rams have had one makeshift defender after another in what has been a truly bizarre season for the club.
Matt Clarke returns to Brighton and Hove Albion after his loan spell in the Championship. Andre Wisdom and Krystian Bielik, meanwhile, are both still recovering from injuries.
Curtis Davies and Craig Forsyth penned new deals, but the experienced duo are likely to be bit-part players next season with Cocu looking to freshen things up.
Mike te Wierik is also an option following his move from Groningen. But, if Clarke doesn’t return for a second loan spell, then there is a void which needs filling.
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