Derby County could still secure transfer swoop for forward target this summer | OneFootball

Derby County could still secure a move for Stoke City striker Lee Gregory this summer as they aim to bolster their squad before the start of the season, according to the Stoke Sentinel.

Wayne Rooney has been held back from making some much-needed additions to this squad this summer with the Rams having been under a strict transfer embargo that has limited the business he could conduct.

However, the EFL have since relaxed that and Derby can now add as many as five players to strengthen his squad ahead of the new campaign.

Gregory had spent the second half of last season out on loan with Derby from Stoke and there had been reports earlier in the summer that the Rams would be interested in making a permanent move for the experienced striker.

Although there was also reported rival interest from League One Ipswich Town, who have since added Joe Pigott and Macauley Bonne to their squad.

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According to the latest update on Gregory’s potential future from the Stoke Sentinel, the Potters are still keen to offload the 32-year-old this summer.

It is believed that he could still be heading for a reunion with the Rams at this stage in the transfer window following the relaxation on the transfer embargo placed on them.

The verdict

This is a transfer that had been seeming a little unlikely over the last few weeks with talk around Gregory returning to Derby having died down somewhat.

However, this report should not come as too much of a surprise considering that the Rams are now more free to add players to their squad after the transfer embargo on them was eased by the EFL.

Gregory could still be a solid enough addition to make to the squad this summer and the Rams need to add a forward to provide competition with Colin Kazim-Richards upfront.

Former Reading striker Sam Baldock has been training with Derby. However, you would have to suggest that it might be a better move for Rooney to re-sign the Stoke player ahead of him given he made a decent impact last term, and also that Baldock failed to score a single goal in the league last term.

In their current situation, a move to re-sign Gregory would not be the worst option for the Rams. The fact that no one else has snapped him up whilst Derby have been unable to means that Rooney’s side can now take advantage and look to tie up a move as soon as possible.