Derby County are keen on signing Alex Pritchard from Championship rivals Huddersfield Town as part of the deal that would see Duane Holmes go in the other direction, according to The Athletic.
Not so long ago, Pritchard was one of the most influential and highly-rated attackers in the Championship. He even held his own during two years in the Premier League; the hard-working creative hub at the heart of an often toothless Terriers side.
But, after falling well down the pecking order at the club who paid £11 million for him in 2017, Pritchard is in dire need of a fresh start.
And The Athletic believe that a goal-shy Derby side, who need to inject some creativity into a relegation-threatened squad could offer him exactly that.
Pritchard may even be used as part of a straight swap deal that would see Holmes, a Phillip Cocu favourite who has fallen out of favour under Wayne Rooney, leave Pride Park for the John Smith’s Stadium.
talkSPORT, meanwhile, claim that Huddersfield are willing to terminate the final six months of Pritchard’s contract, allowing the fourth-most expensive player in their history to leave for absolutely nothing.
The now-27-year-old was billed as a potential star of the future during his formative days at Tottenham and even caught the eye of Christian Eriksen.
“He’s a really good player and he made a real impression on me,” Eriksen once told Spurs’ official website.
“He’s very skilful, good on the ball. He didn’t get much of a chance on his debut, a short time, but he’s really talented. He’s one for the future, for sure.”
Rooney will be praying that Pritchard can offer a reminder as to why he was once so highly regarded at Derby.
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