Derby County transfer notebook as double claim made and Jason Knight speculation.
Derby County news from DerbyshireLive brings you the latest tidbits of transfer gossip..
Derby County head coach John Eustace will get the chance to put his own stamp on the squad this summer in what looks set to be an exciting transfer window.
After arriving back in February as Paul Warne’s successor, Eustace did make a couple of free transfer additions to help cope with a crippling injury list.
But he will now get a proper chance to assemble a squad in his vision which promises to be an exciting prospect for the fans given the magnificent turnaround he has overseen since his arrival.
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That said, here DerbyshireLive takes a look at what could happen across the summer and beyond in the latest Derby transfer notebook.
Derby linked with Rovers midfielder
Derby County have been linked with a move for Bristol Rovers midfielder Kamil Conteh.
Conteh is being tipped to leave Rovers this summer after they were relegated which has put a host of clubs on alert.
Derby are reportedly among them say Football League World as are Plymouth Argyle who were relegated from the Championship.
Conteh picked up a knee injury in December and was subsequently ruled out of the remainder of the campaign.
But he is expected to be back fit for pre-season with the Sierra Leone international regarded as being too good for League Two.
Conteh has impressed at Rovers ever since signing from Grimsby with the 22-year-old having initially started his career at Middlesbrough.
Rovers paid a £300,000 fee to Grimsby for his services in January 2024 and is regarded as a defensive midfielder who is good in possession.
Derby will look to bolster their midfield this summer with Ebou Adams, Kenzo Goudmijn and Ben Osborn the only first-team midfielders under contract. Liam Thompson has been offered a new deal, however.
Ex-Bolton defender on Derby radar
Derby have already been linked with numerous centre-backs this summer and now another one can be added to the list of supposed targets.
This time transfer journalist Pete O’Rourke claims Derby are weighing up a move for Ricardo Santos who is a free agent after leaving Bolton Wanderers.
Swansea City have also been mentioned as a potential destination while he will also have no shortage of suitors in League One.
Standing at 6ft 5in, Santos was a key performer for Bolton under Ian Evatt as they reached the play-off final last season.
But that ended in heartbreak as they lost out to Oxford United at Wembley. This season has not fared as well for the towering centre-back after Ian Evatt was replaced with Steven Schumacher.
Bolton failed to make the top six in League One and having previously flirted with promotion to the Championship, have gone backwards over the last 12 months.
Santos has made a total of 302 appearances in League One and League Two combined, and has five outings in the League One playoffs.
Jason Knight and Everton?
Stories linking Jason Knight to the Premier League may have piqued a bit of interest around Pride Park this week.
Everton are supposedly keen on the Irishman who helped Bristol City finish in the top six although their playoff campaign fell apart against Sheffield United.
Robins captain Knight has won plenty of admirers for his performances at Ashton Gate and none more so than David Moyes.
Speculation is mounting that the Scot has been keeping tabs on the Republic of Ireland international following his exploits in the Championship.
And that would bode well for Derby if he was to make a big-money move given the Rams will have a sell-on clause as part of the deal that took him to City for a fee of around £2m in the summer of 2023.
Former Leeds goalkeeper Paul Robinson said: “He’s a player that David Moyes has liked for a while – he ticks a lot of boxes for Everton and the way that David Moyes plays that central midfield role.
“[Knight] is still only 24; he’s a player Moyes will look at and think, ‘he’s a good quality player who’s still young and I can make him better – playing in the David Moyes system’.
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