Derby County, Bolton Wanderers and Portsmouth join Wrexham in race to sign clinical striker | OneFootball

Highlights

The January transfer window is now in full swing, which only means that players are beginning to have multiple clubs circle around them when it comes to the rumour mill.

Portsmouth, Bolton Wanderers and Derby County are a trio of sides currently locked in what is set to be an enthralling title and automatic promotion race in the remainder of the League One season, with all three sides harbouring serious ambitions regarding a return to the Championship as soon as possible.

However, one rumour that has come to light could have serious ramifications on the remainder of the season for all of John Mousinho, Ian Evatt and Paul Warne, as the promotion race isn't the only battle all three find themselves in.

This comes in the form of 25-year-old striker Ronan Hale, who has been in sensational form for some time in the NIFL Premiership over in Northern Ireland.

It was revealed on Tuesday morning by Football Insider that Derby, Portsmouth and Bolton have all been linked with a potential move for the forward alongside fellow third-tier promotion hopefuls in the form of Peterborough and Blackpool.

The report also states that Phil Parkinson's Wrexham are also keen on a deal for Hale, as they look to secure a second successive promotion and return to League One for the first time since the 2004/05 campaign.

Despite being Belfast-born, a potential move to either the third or fourth tier would represent a return to England, as Hale was snapped up by Birmingham City's academy in 2016, as he stayed in the West Midlands for a three-year period which included a remarkable tally of 28 goals in 23 games for Blues' U23's side in his first season, subsequently moving up the Wast Hills ranks at the time.

After terminating his contract with Birmingham in the early weeks of 2019, Hale made a swift return to his first club Crusaders, before moving to League of Ireland outfit St Patrick's Athletic, but only managed a combined tally of four goals for the respective sides.

However, Hale's form drastically changed when he returned north of the border with Larne, and he has never looked back since finding form at Inver Park, where he found the net 17 times in 65 appearances.

He would then switch to divisional rivals Cliftonville, and his form has reached even higher gears for the side managed by former Ipswich and QPR boss, Jim Magilton.

Hale found the net 30 times in all competitions for the Reds in his first season for the club as they finished fourth on 68 points, and so far this campaign has scored a remarkable 11 times in just nine starts, after a ligament injury kept him sidelined at the beginning of the season.

This included a hat-trick against Coleraine on January 5th in the Irish Cup, and his side currently sit third in the league, eight points behind leaders Linfield.

Ronan Hale could be key to promotion ambitions

Whilst no fee has been touted yet, it wouldn't be unsurprising for the Northern Irish outfit to drive a hard bargain if a deal comes to fruition, especially with the reputation that comes with the sides linked to Hale's signature.

Whoever is successful in adding the 25-year-old to their ranks will feel that his goalscoring nouse could play a pivotal factor in determining success or failure in the weeks and months to come.