Derby County, Blackburn Rovers and Hull City plotting transfer move for Everton player | OneFootball

Derby County are keen to bring Everton midfielder Harrison Armstrong back to the club, but Blackburn Rovers and Hull City are also interested.

Derby County are reportedly hoping to bring Everton midfielder Harrison Armstrong back to the club this summer, but they face competition from Blackburn Rovers and Hull City.

That's according to TEAMtalk, who claim that Derby are looking to secure another loan deal for Armstrong this summer after his successful temporary spell at the club last season, but their Championship rivals Blackburn and Hull have also entered the race for his signature.

Armstrong joined the Rams on loan on the final day of the winter transfer window, and he played a crucial role in the second half of last season as John Eustace's men narrowly avoided relegation to League One.

After Armstrong's stint at Pride Park came to an end, Everton manager David Moyes claimed that the 18-year-old would be returning to the club as a "different player", while he also confirmed that he would be involved in the pre-season trip to the United States for the Summer Series, where his side will face Bournemouth, West Ham United and Manchester United.

Moyes is currently running the rule over Armstrong ahead of the new Premier League season, but as the midfielder's list of Championship suitors increases, the Toffees boss has a big decision to make on whether to give him the green light to depart on loan once again.

Derby County face Blackburn Rovers and Hull City competition for Harrison Armstrong

It is fair to say that Armstrong impressed during his loan spell at Derby last season, with manager John Eustace stating in April that he is "maturing into a very good player" and predicting that he is "going to have a huge future".

With that in mind, it is little surprise that the Rams are looking to bring Armstrong back to the club this summer, and the England Under-18 international has previously revealed that he would be open to returning to Pride Park for a second stint next season.

"Yeah, I'd definitely be interested to come back here. It's a great club, great fan base, staff, I think there's talks to be had and discussions," Armstrong told Derbyshire Live in May.

"Playing men's football, the experience of it, it's game understanding. It's very hard to grasp it until you do it pretty much but I think it's taught me going into a new changing room, away from home, it's taught me a lot of things."

Eustace's former club Blackburn are also keen on Armstrong, and Rovers manager Valerien Ismael had the opportunity to have a closer look at the midfielder on Saturday as he came on as a second-half substitute in Everton's 1-0 pre-season friendly defeat at Ewood Park, while troubled Hull, who were recently hit with a three-window ban on paying transfer fees, are also among his admirers.

However, Armstrong, who signed a new three-and-a-half year contract with the Toffees in February before joining Derby on loan, is believed to be keen to remain with the Merseyside outfit next season, so the Championship trio could all be set for disappointment if Moyes opts to keep him at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Derby County have a big advantage in Harrison Armstrong transfer race

It seems that Moyes is a big fan of Armstrong, and there is every chance he could decide to keep him at Everton next season, but his minutes may be limited in the Premier League, so another loan move would be beneficial for his development.

Blackburn and Hull would likely both be able to guarantee Armstrong regular game time, but should the Toffees allow the midfielder to leave on loan this summer, Derby would surely be strong favourites to land his signature after he thrived during his loan spell at the club last season, while he has already confirmed he would be open to returning to Pride Park.

Eustace has demonstrated his pulling power on a number of occasions this summer with the signings of the likes of Danny Batth, Andreas Weimann, Carlton Morris and Patrick Agyemang, and if he is able to seal a deal for Armstrong, it would be another big coup for the 45-year-old.