Derby County are battling Championship rivals Preston North End to sign James Collins on a free transfer from Luton Town, as reported by The Telegraph.
Considering no-one in Wayne Rooney’s squad has scored more than seven league goals in 2020/21, it’s no wonder the Rams have leapt to the front of the queue for a proven, second-tier centre-forward whose contract is due to expire in July.
After marking his debut Championship season with 14 strikes for Luton last term, Collins has found the net regularly again this time around.
The one-time Aston Villa youngster also scored his first competitive goal for the Republic of Ireland during the March international break, showcasing those predatory instincts with a close-range strike during the 3-2 defeat in Serbia.
You would imagine, then, that Luton would be desperate to tie their Coventry-born talisman down to a new contract before it’s too late.
According to The Telegraph, Derby are battling managerless Preston for Collins’ signature.
A money-spinning move to the MLS may also hold some appeal for a late-blooming target man who was playing fourth-tier football as recently as 2018.
The Telegraph doesn’t identify those mystery, cross-Atlantic suitors but an Inter Miami side that looks set to add Kieran Gibbs to a British-based squad may be one of the clubs in question.
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