Derby County news: Wayne Rooney steps up transfer pursuit of 28-year-old midfielder | OneFootball

Following an underwhelming 2020/21 campaign in the Championship which culminated in his side narrowly avoiding relegation to League One, it will be fascinating to see whether Derby County manager Wayne Rooney is able to guide the club into a new dawn later this year.

Ahead of what is set to be his first full season in charge of the club, the Rams manager has finally been given the green light by the EFL to sign players.

Although there are still restrictions in place that Derby will need to adhere to, Rooney is now free to put his own stamp on the club's squad by drafting in individuals who are currently out-of-contract.

One of the players who has recently emerged as a potential target is Ravel Morrison.

Currently on trial at the club, the attacking midfielder featured in Derby's pre-season friendly clash with Manchester United last weekend.

Whilst Morrison was unable to prevent his former side from sealing a 2-1 victory in this particular clash, he did manage to show glimpses of promise during this particular fixture.

With the upcoming campaign set to kick-off next month, Rooney has seemingly decided to make a decision regarding his side's pursuit of Morrison.

According to The Telegraph journalist John Percy, the Rams boss is set to offer the attacking midfielder a deal as he looks to bolster his squad ahead of the club's opening weekend clash with Huddersfield Town.

Considering that Morrison has been without a club since leaving ADO Den Haag in January, it will interesting to see whether he decides to commit his short-term future to Derby.

The Rams will need to make sure that the deal that they have reportedly tabled for Morrison doesn't exceed the salary cap that has been placed upon them by the EFL.

1 of 15

How many Premier League goals did Paulo Di Canio score for West Ham United?

21 12 48 20

GIVEMESPORT's Joshua Cole says...

Whilst it is fair to say that Morrison has ultimately failed to live up to expectations in recent years, this could turn out to be a shrewd bit of business by Rooney if he is able to get the best out of the former West Ham United midfielder.

Although Morrison's most recent spell in the Championship with Middlesbrough was relatively underwhelming, he has managed to deliver some promising displays at this level during his career to date.

As well as providing five assists in this division, the midfielder has netted nine goals in 58 second-tier appearances.