Derby County set to capitalise on Cardiff City player call despite competition | OneFootball

Rohan Luthra is expected to be signed by the Rams imminently, with a deal thought to be close.

Highlights

Derby County are set to sign Rohan Luthra later this week after he left Cardiff City as a free agent earlier this summer.

That is according to Sky Sports, who report Paul Warne is poised to strengthen his goalkeeping department ahead of their return to the Championship.

The Rams have already moved to strengthen their squad, with several promising additions coming in at Pride Park following their promotion back to the second tier of English football.

Corey Blackett-Taylor has signed permanently following the end of his loan spell - and they have also recruited a couple of additions who have plenty of second-tier experience under their belts.

Ben Osborn and Kayden Jackson look set to be shrewd additions, along with loanee Jerry Yates who has previously been an asset at this level.

Ebou Adams, meanwhile, has made a permanent switch to Pride Park following a successful loan spell in the East Midlands.

There's still time for Warne to make some further additions before the campaign starts - and that's a positive considering there are still at least a couple of signings that need to be made in the next couple of weeks.

Derby County set to sign Rohan Luthra

Luthra is a 22-year-old keeper who has only had a very limited amount of experience at a senior level.

Starting his footballing journey at Crystal Palace, he then moved on to Cardiff City, but was unable to establish himself as a regular starter between the sticks in the Welsh capital.

And having left the club following the expiration of his deal this summer, he is a free agent.

He played for the Rams against Chesterfield in a pre-season friendly last night and didn't exactly cover himself in glory, but according to Sky Sports, Derby are set to recruit him later this week.

Earlier this week, interest had been mounting in his signature, but it looks as though Warne's side have won the race to sign him.

Derby County need more than one goalkeeping signing before the end of the window

He may not have performed brilliantly yesterday, but one poor performance alone may not be enough to persuade Derby not to recruit the young stopper.

Luthra is young enough to grow and be a real asset in the future - and it wouldn't be a surprise if he comes in as the Rams' third-choice keeper.

If he does, there's still work to do in the goalkeeping area, with both Joe Wildsmith and Scott Loach leaving Pride Park following the expiration of their deals.

A first-choice stopper is definitely required to replace Wildsmith - and adding a starting stopper must be the Rams' biggest priority to address in the coming weeks.

If they don't manage to fully address this area before the season starts, it could affect their results during the early stages of the season and that's the last thing they will want.