Value of Derby County's opening bid for Charlton Athletic star revealed | OneFootball

With the January transfer window rumour mill continuously gathering momentum, clubs harbouring differing ambitions are targeting a number of the EFL's most potent attackers.

Derby County are one of League One's pace-setters as far as the promotion race is concerned, and it's no surprise that Paul Warne is looking to add further reinforcements to his already prolific frontline that already includes the experience of James Collins and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing.

Charlton Athletic reject Derby County offer for talisman

It was revealed by Darren Witcoop on December 20th that Derby have been long-standing admirers of Charlton Athletic's Corey Blackett-Taylor, whose performances for the South London outfit throughout the first half of the third tier campaign had led to a number of rumours.

However, the Rams have been dealt an initial setback when it comes to their pursuit of the 26-year-old, as Football Insider have revealed on Saturday afternoon.

The report states that Charlton have rejected the first offer by the East Midlands outfit which stands at £250,000 and have claimed that Blackett-Taylor is not for sale.

Furthermore, this isn't the only offer that Charlton are said to have knocked back since the opening of the window on New Year's Day. On January 5th, the South London Press via LondonNewsOnline claimed that the club had rejected an offer for his services, although the identity of the club wasn't revealed at the time amid interest from European outfits.

However, Derby aren't the only clubs who are said to have kept a watchful eye on Blackett-Taylor's situation at the Valley, as prior to the transfer window it was also claimed by the same publication that Championship sides Hull City, Plymouth Argyle and Huddersfield Town were said to be interested in pursuing a deal, but no further developments from the trio have surfaced regarding a deal at present.

Corey Blackett-Taylor's current situation at Charlton Athletic

It's unsurprising that there is such strong interest in Blackett-Taylor, as many would argue that Charlton's current league position would be far worse if it wasn't for his situation.

However, his current predicament with the Addicks has left all concerned parties in a tough predicament as the beginning of the transfer window signaled the beginning of the final six-month period of his current contract, having triggered a one-year extension last March.

So far this season, the Birmingham-born winger has been one of the most potent in League One, garnering eight goals and six assists from 25 league outings, as well as a further strike in the EFL Trophy.

However, he was omitted altogether from Michael Appleton's matchday squad for this weekend's clash with Peterborough United at the Valley amid the aforementioned interest.

Blackett-Taylor is alongside George Dobson and Terrell Thomas as a trio of players who could realistically seek an early move away from South London in the coming weeks, with all of their respective contracts set to expire at the end of June.

Charlton Athletic's stance on Corey Blackett-Taylor

As per the aforementioned report by South London News, Charlton's technical director Andy Scott revealed an official stance by the club, despite the continuation of uncertainty.

“He’s had a really good season. His raw pace, power and the fact he has added goals and assists to his game this season will entice teams in the league above and probably abroad as well.

“We have offered him a very good contract – a realistic contract. It is incentivised, the same as we do with all our player contracts,” he added.

It would be a huge blow for Charlton to lose his services, after seeing a number of players also depart in the previous summer.

However, this will offer some form of comfort for the time being, as it would suggest that a significant fee must be touted to prize him away from the Valley which could soon be reinvested into the squad.

As for Derby, it's clear where their priorities lie in this window, having also been linked with Cliftonville forward Ronan Hale, Wigan winger Callum Lang, and Michael Smith from Sheffield Wednesday in recent days.