Derby County hold an advantage in the race to sign their ‘speedy’ transfer target.
The Rams have so far made six new signings this summer, mostly strengthening their midfield with the arrivals of Ebou Adams, Kenzo Goudmijn, Ben Osborn and David Ozoh.
While they have added two strikers to their ranks, Derby County currently look set to rely on the same wide players that led them back to the Championship.
The likes of Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, Corey Blackett-Taylor and Tom Barkhuizen will be expected to chip in with goals and assists, leaving a concern at their quality in attack.
Paul Warne is very clearly looking to bring in more fresh faces to his frontline though, with Karamoko Dembele one name that has been on their radar over the last couple of months.
The 21-year-old is set to leave Brest this summer after bagging 21 goal contributions on loan at Blackpool last term.
Dembele has gained a lot of interest from clubs in the EFL, but it looks like Derby could hold an advantage as they look to beat Birmingham City to his signature.
Derby County ‘hoping’ to beat Birmingham to ‘speedy’ attacker
According to journalist Alan Nixon, Dembele ‘wants a Championship move’.
He wrote on his Patreon: “Derby County are hoping to beat Birmingham City to the signing of Brest attacker Karamoko Dembele.
“The Rams want to do a deal with French side Brest for speedy Dembele who was on loan at Blackpool last season.
“Dembele ideally wants a Championship move despite several League One sides trying for him.
“Birmingham City want him but the attraction of playing with his brother may go away if he is sold.”
There has been a number of other clubs interested in signing the youngster, but Nixon’s report suggests it is Derby and Birmingham that could be leading the race.
The Rams need Karamoko Dembele if they are to stay up
The Blues have looked strong in the transfer window and are very likely to promise Championship football next term, while there may be the concern that Derby could be battling relegation themselves.
However, the addition of Dembele would really boost their chances of staying up and he would surely prefer a move to Pride Park if it meant an immediate upgrade from his successful campaign in the third tier last season.
It’s unclear how much Derby would have to pay though, and it would be very difficult for them to compete with Birmingham financially.
Either way, they desperately need to improve their attack because their current crop will not provide enough creativity and goal threat to keep them up.