Leeds United and Newcastle United are both showing an interest in signing Derby County midfielder Jason Knight this month.
That’s according to The Times, who claim that Derby are set to cash in and sell Knight during the January window.
Derby want around £8million for Knight, with that potential injection of cash absolutely vital to Wayne Rooney’s Rams.
Leeds and Burnley are now believed to be considering bids, with Knight allegedly ‘on the verge’ of leaving Derby despite wanting to stay.
Newcastle are also interested and could move in with a bid of their own if it becomes clear that Knight is going.
With two weeks of the transfer window to go, we could now see a real Premier League battle on the horizon for Knight.
Knight, 20, has played 19 Championship games this season, bagging two goals and two assists.
Knight already has nine Ireland caps to his name and looks like a star of the future as well as being a quality Championship player already.
Last year, Derby boss Rooney called Knight ‘fantastic’ and a ‘manager’s dream’ given his commitment in the middle of the park.
That’s the kind of praise that gets you noticed, and Knight could now find himself in the Premier League by the end of the month.
Leeds are desperate for midfield additions and have been heavily linked with a move for Standard Liege star Nicolas Raskin.
Knight offers a similar option in terms of age and price whilst fitting the mould for Marcelo Bielsa in terms of his ability to get up and down the pitch.
Newcastle have added two experienced players in Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood, but will need youth for the future too.
Knight can provide that in the middle of the pitch, where Newcastle have uninspiring options for Eddie Howe to work with.
Knight wouldn’t break the bank thanks to PIF’s investment, with Newcastle a major threat to steal any signing right now.
We would back Knight for Leeds over Newcastle at the moment though, with his profile just suiting Leeds a little better.
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