Nottingham Forest have been linked with players Derby County should be targeting.
Nottingham Forest have been linked with summer moves for Peterborough United duo Marcus Maddison and Jack Marriott, as well as Scunthorpe’s Hakeeb Adelakun – players Derby County ought to target.
The Reds are intent on bolstering their squad this summer as they target an assault on promotion next season, and they seem to be doing it in a manner which would make supporters of rivals Derby envious.
A report in the Nottingham Post has linked Forest with Peterborough’s Maddison and Marriott, while HITC exclusively revealed Aitor Karanka’s interest in Adelakun.
The trio linked with a move to the City Ground are young, boasting plenty of potential and have the ability to go on and play at the very highest level beyond the Championship in the next few years.
Derby, in contrast, have adopted a here and now transfer policy over the past few years, spending big money and huge wages on the likes of Bradley Johnson, Jacob Butterfield, Jason Shackell and Darren Bent.
The idea of spending big in getting Derby over the line in terms of promotion has backfired, and now the Rams find themselves manager-less and in a tricky situation regarding Financial Fair Play.
A recent report in The Telegraph claims the club could be forced to sell star player Matej Vydra this summer as they look to avoid any FFP sanctions, and frustratingly for Derby, he’s one of only a few saleable assets.
Derby had one of the oldest squads in the Championship last season. They are in desperate need of adding some much-needed youth, yet they could see three viable options instead turn up at their rivals.
While Derby are crying out for some extra width and creativity in wide flanks, Forest have been linked with moves for Maddison and Adelakun – two players who posted a combined 32 assists in League One last term.
Adelakun, 21, was Scunthorpe’s standout player in their playoff campaign last term with five goals and 14 assists, while Maddison posted an incredible 18 assists for Posh – more than any other League One player.
Those two joining Forest would give them the basis for one of the most exciting attack forces outside the Premier League, while adding League One top scorer Marriott to the mix would be the icing on the cake.
Marriott netted 33 goals last season, and The Sun report his price-tag is around £6.5 million, which could prove a potential bargain considering Forest’s last signing from Posh, Britt Assambolonga, was later sold for an eight-figure fee and Marriott is rated just as highly.
The Forest-linked trio are exactly what Derby need to freshen up their ageing squad and potentially seeing them rock up on the other side of Brian Clough Way would be a bitter pill to swallow.
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