West Ham, Burnley, Sheffield United and Middlesbrough join transfer chase for Derby County player | OneFootball

Derby County's current League One status could see them potentially lose some of their best players in the January transfer window at the start of 2024.

Currently, Paul Warne's side are inside the top six of the third tier of English football, but results over the course of the season so far and as of now, County are not one of the automatic promotion favourites as predicted by many before a ball had been kicked.

Failure to win promotion back to the Championship at the first time of asking was always going to put Derby in a vulnerable position in the transfer market, and one of their star talents has interest in his services once more in the form of Eiran Cashin.

The 22-year-old defender, who made his debut back in 2021 under the management of Wayne Rooney, has been a key player for the Rams ever since, but clubs have been noticing his talent for the last two years and it could mean Derby have to cash in at some point.

What is Eiran Cashin's current Derby County contract status?

Currently, Cashin has just under seven months to go on his current deal at Pride Park, but Derby are believed to hold an optional one-year extension, effectively keeping him at the club until June 2025.

Derby are planning to offer new contracts to both Cashin and midfield general Max Bird, but if a fresh contract cannot be agreed before the January transfer window opens, then it is likely that the option will be triggered to give the Rams more security.

That will not stop clubs being interested in the centre-back though, and there are Premier League and Championship sides lining up to try and prize the Republic of Ireland youth international away from the League One side in the upcoming transfer window.

Late on in the transfer window this past summer, Cashin was close to a move to the Premier League with Brighton & Hove Albion in a deal that would have been worth £4 million, but the Seagulls could not get a deal over the line before the deadline.

According to a report from TEAMtalk though, Roberto De Zerbi's side are still actively pursuing the 22-year-old ahead of January, as is his former boss Wayne Rooney at Birmingham City if he can stump the cash up.

There are several new clubs to add to the mix though, namely West Ham United who are reportedly interested in doing a mid-season deal.

The Hammers are joined by Premier League rivals - albeit struggling ones in the form of Burnley and Sheffield United, whilst Middlesbrough, who have recently lost Darragh Lenihan to a season-ending achilles injury, are also keen.