Ryan Hardie signs: How Derby County's perfect summer transfer window could look | OneFootball

We looked at some of the potential signings that would make this summer transfer window perfect for Derby County.

Derby County are preparing for another season in the Championship after securing survival under John Eustace.

Derby made the decision to part company with promotion-winning manager Paul Warne in February after a run of seven consecutive defeats, and they shocked the football world by convincing Eustace to swap a promotion push at Blackburn Rovers for a relegation battle at Pride Park.

The Rams' predicament initially got worse after Eustace's arrival, and they were seven points adrift of safety after he lost his first three games, but a significant upturn in form after that saw them finish the season in 19th place, one point clear of the relegation zone.

Eustace has already begun his summer rebuild, with Derby confirming that Rohan Luthra, Sonny Bradley, Erik Pieters, Tyrese Fornah, Jeff Hendrick, Tom Barkhuizen, Kemar Roofe and Conor Washington will all leave the club at the end of their contracts this summer, and there will likely be a host of new arrivals over the coming months.

With that in mind, we looked at some of the potential signings that could make the summer transfer window a perfect one for the Rams.

Danny Batth

One of the hallmarks of any successful Eustace team is defensive solidity, and he certainly tightened Derby up at the back after his arrival in February, with his side keeping five clean sheets in his 14 games in charge.

The Rams have tied Matt Clarke down to a new three-year contract, but after £4 million January signing Sondre Langas underwent an operation on a long-standing knee injury, they may need to bring in at least one new centre-back this summer, and Blackburn's Danny Batth is one player on their radar.

As FLW exclusively revealed earlier this week, Eustace is targeting a reunion with Rovers defender Batth and forward Andreas Weimann at Pride Park, but of the two, signing the defender would be a bigger boost for Derby.

Blackburn's strong defensive record was key to their play-off challenge under Eustace this season, and much of that was down to Batth's excellent performances, with the 34-year-old helping his side to 13 clean sheets in 41 appearances, as well as chipping in with two goals at the other end.

With his contract at Ewood Park expiring this summer, Rovers are reportedly keen to keep hold of Batth, but the chance to work under Eustace again could be too tempting for him to turn down, and while there may be some concerns about his age, he is still a quality performer at Championship level.

Ryan Hardie

After netting just 48 league goals, Derby were the joint-third lowest scorers in the Championship this season, with only Hull City and Luton Town scoring fewer, so there is no doubt that Eustace's top summer priority will be to bolster his attacking options.

Jerry Yates was the Rams' top scorer this season with 10 goals, but he has now returned to Swansea City at the end of his loan spell, which further weakens a forward line that was already struggling even with the 28-year-old.

As they search for a new number nine, Derby should look no further than Plymouth Argyle striker Ryan Hardie, who may be available this summer after his side's relegation to League One.

After hitting 13 goals last season, Hardie reached double figures for the second consecutive campaign in the Championship as he netted 12 times in 40 appearances this term, and while he could not save the Pilgrims from the drop, he has certainly done enough to earn a move back to the second tier.

Hardie has been linked with ambitious newly-promoted side Wrexham, and the Rams may find it difficult to compete financially with the Red Dragons, but the Scot would guarantee goals for Eustace's men next season, so owner David Clowes should consider splashing out on him this summer.

Alassana Jatta

Clowes has made no secret of the fact that he is looking for fresh investment to help take the club forward, but with no imminent sign of a cash injection, Derby may have to be smart in the transfer market this summer.

If Hardie is out of the Rams' price range, they may need to search for some bargain signings in the forward areas, and they would not need to look too far across the East Midlands for a potentially shrewd option.

Notts County striker Alassana Jatta scored 22 goals in 43 appearances this season to help the Magpies reach the play-offs in League Two, but after they missed out on promotion, he could be set to leave Meadow Lane this summer.

Jatta was the subject of interest from higher divisions in January, with Plymouth reportedly having a £750,000 bid rejected for the 26-year-old, while Portsmouth and Bolton Wanderers were also said to have been keen.

Notts are believed to value Jatta at more than £1 million, which Derby may view as too much for a player who is unproven in the Championship, but although there is no guarantee he would be able to make the step-up two divisions, he would add a strong physical presence up front, as well as being a clinical finisher, so he could be worth the risk.