Derby County lead Coventry and Swansea in race for £1.5m-rated defender | OneFootball

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Derby County have targeted Cameron Humphreys from head coach Paul Warne's former employers Rotherham United, as they look to bolster an already experienced defence for League One level.

TEAMtalk report that the Rams are leading the race for the £1.5m-rated Manchester City academy graduate, who was signed by Warne at the ASSEAL New York Stadium just twelve months ago, prior to swapping South Yorkshire for the East Midlands.

Who is Cameron Humphreys?

A graduate of City's academy, Humphreys signed his first professional contract under the management of Manuel Pellegrini in the summer of 2015, before making his debut in a 4-0 FA Cup victory over Aston Villa the following January.

Despite being a regular in the club's underage sides, Humphreys failed to make a Premier League appearance, and spent three seasons at Belgian Pro League side Zulte-Waragem.

After three years, Humphreys joined Rotherham last summer upon the expiration of his contract. So far, Humphreys has made 43 appearances for the Millers, and was a regular figure in their survival campaign, firstly under Warne and then Matt Taylor.

Humphreys still has two years left on his Rotherham contract, and despite outside interest, Taylor is keen for the defender to commit his future to the Championship side after an impressive first season at the club, as per the Rotherham Advertiser.

He said: “Cam is certainly someone we feel is an asset.

"With all the players we feel are an asset we are opening contract discussions.

“Cam certainly impressed. He needs to back up that with another good season,”

Taylor also believes Humphreys is capable of adding more to his game if he can stay fit throughout the season.

"He's only going to get better as long as he stays fit. I think he is good enough to play at the highest level."

Derby currently beating Coventry and Swansea in Cameron Humphrey race

TEAMtalk state that Derby lead the race for Humphreys ahead of Championship outfits Coventry City and Swansea, who have also been linked to the central defender.

The Daily Mail linked Humphreys with a potential move to South Wales in late July, as Swansea undergo another transition under the management of Michael Duff.

The Swans only have four natural centre-backs to choose from at present, and have looked at the 24-year-old as a potential candidate to compete with the likes of Ben Cabango, Harry Darling and Nathan Wood for a starting spot at the heart of the Welsh side's defence.

The aforementioned report is the first concrete link between Humphreys and Coventry, who have made an impressive start to the season with a strong performance in defeat at Leicester, before blowing away Middlesbrough last weekend.

But a move to Derby seems more likely and that's a boost to Paul Warne who could be set to lose Eiran Cashin, with the Rams rejecting multiple bids from Premier League Brighton.

Would Cameron Humphreys be a good signing for Derby County?

Considering they are battling second-tier teams for his signature, this story certainly sounds promising for the Rams.

If the East Midlands side want to play a back three, they simply must add more options to their central defence and thankfully for them, they have brought in the experienced Sonny Bradley.

With Bradley acting as the Rams' experienced head in defence, they can afford to bring in some younger additions.