Why Derby County want to sign Lewis Travis from Blackburn - there are 3 clear reasons | OneFootball

The Rams are keen on signing the midfielder during the summer transfer window.

Derby County boss John Eustace is keen on reuniting with Blackburn Rovers midfielder Lewis Travis this summer.

The Rams want to sign the 27-year-old from their Championship rivals during the summer transfer window, as per Football League World's exclusive.

Newly-promoted second tier side Wrexham are also interested in Travis, so Derby now find themselves embroiled in a race for his signature.

Alan Nixon reported last week that the Welsh outfit are prepared to offer the midfielder a significant wage increase if he makes a move to the Racecourse Ground, but Eustace will hope that his personal relationship with Travis could help to convince the player to stay in England.

Let's take a look at three reasons why Derby are targeting Travis to bolster their midfield department ahead of the 2025/26 season.

Eustace knows the player

Travis fell out of favour at Ewood Park under Jon Dahl Tomasson during the 2023/24 campaign, which resulted in him joining Ipswich Town on loan midway through that season.

Prior to his move to Pride Park, Eustace brought the 27-year-old back into the fold at Blackburn last season, and he was a key part of the side that was competing for a play-off place in the Championship at the time of the head coach's departure.

The midfielder admitted that he was "very close" to Eustace before he left Blackburn for Derby.

Travis' aggressive and combative nature is something that Eustace would no doubt love to add to his Derby team, and given the midfielder's resurgence at Ewood Park under the tutelage of the 45-year-old last season, a reunion could be a good move for both parties.

Derby must replace Armstrong

Everton youngster Harrison Armstrong impressed during a loan spell at Derby last season, and the Rams will know that they need to suitably replace the midfielder this summer.

The 18-year-old played 90 minutes in each of the last 10 Championship games at the end of the 2024/25 season, and as a player who also made three Premier League appearances for the Toffees last term, it may be a struggle for Derby to bring him back to the club, even if he is made available for loan again this summer.

Derby boss Eustace could see Travis as an ideal replacement for Armstrong in the heart of midfield, and while it is difficult to find another player with the same quality as the England youth international, signing someone who knows the system already should make the transition more seamless.

Travis is a leader

If Derby do manage to sign Travis this summer, with just 12 months remaining on his contract and a reported price-tag of £2 million, they would be bringing in a real leader.

He has been at Blackburn since coming through the academy in 2017, and he has been the club captain since the summer of 2022, so he would bring loyalty as well as leadership to the Derby dressing room.

It may be difficult for Derby to compete with a club that has the financial backing of Wrexham in the race to sign Travis, especially with North Wales being closer to Lancashire than the Midlands, but the personal relationship between Eustace and the player could be a deciding factor in a deal that would make sense from an outsider's perspective.