Championship strugglers Derby County reportedly want Rushian Hepburn-Murphy on loan from Premier League Aston Villa, as well as Mike te Wierik.
Derby County are hoping to sign Aston Villa striker Rushian Hepburn-Murphy on transfer deadline day, according to The Sun (live blog, 10am), though The Rams are likely to wait until the summer to bring Mike te Wierik to Pride Park.
With problems at both ends of the park, Phillips Cocu’s underachievers went into the final day of the winter window with work to do.
Only two teams in the Championship have conceded fewer goals than Derby this season but whether Hepburn-Murphy is the player they need remains to be seen.
The East Midland giants have a long-standing interest in the Birmingham-born 21-year-old, The Sun claims, and are hoping to sign him on loan until the summer. Hepburn-Murphy has pace to burn and a clinical finish in his locker and caught the eye during a spell at Tranmere Rovers in the first half of the season.
A dead-eyed hat-trick which blew MK Dons away in November suggests that, given the ammunition, Hepburn-Murphy could succeed where the likes of Jack Marriott have failed under Cocu. Derby apparently feel that he can make the step up to Championship level.
The Championship strugglers have also been heavily linked with experienced Groningen defender Te Wierik, with the 6ft 3ins giant admitting to RTV Noord that he is flattered by interest from a ‘super nice club’.
The Derby Telegraph, however, claims that The Rams will delay their move for the 27-year-old until the summer, when Te Wierik will be a free agent.
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