Derby County have held talks with Wigan Athletic forward Kieffer Moore as Queens Park Rangers struggle to get a £2 million deal over the line, according to the Northern Echo.
Try as they might, QPR just cannot seem to tie up a transfer for this giant Welsh targetman.
Mark Warburton’s side had a bid of just over £2 million accepted by relegated, cash-strapped Wigan in mid-July (Mail).
But with Cardiff, Middlesbrough, Stoke City and Preston North End making moves of their own, QPR are now facing up to the prospect of seeing Moore slip through their fingers.
The Echo reports that Derby have also entered talks with the former Yeovil Town number nine.
Moore scored 10 goals and provided five assists for Wigan in 2019/20, though an impressive individual haul was not enough to keep the Latics in the Championship after they were hit with a 12-point deduction.
Derby coach Phillip Cocu is intent on introducing a measured, possession-based style at Pride Park and Moore, at 6ft 3ins, is exactly the kind of old-school targetman preferred by the Louis van Gaal protégé.
Luuk de Jong played perhaps the best football of his career under Cocu at PSV Eindhoven, while Chris Martin impressed when leading the line in the second half of 2019/20.
According to the Echo, however, Cardiff are increasingly confident of winning the race for Moore’s signature.
And, given that the Bluebirds are a massive threat from set pieces and wide areas, Moore should thrive under Neil Harris.
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