John Eustace reacts when asked about Derby County moving for Ipswich Town star Sammie Szmodics | OneFootball

The Rams' head coach was asked about interest in the forward during his press conference on Thursday afternoon.

John Eustace has remained coy when asked about Derby County's reported interest in Sammie Szmodics, as the transfer window enters its final few days.

The Rams have announced the signing of Jaydon Banel on loan from Burnley, with the Dutch winger expected to be in the squad for Friday night, as the East Midlands outfit visit Ashton Gate in a crucial clash against Bristol City.

After having a bid rejected for Szmodics on Wednesday, a decision has to be made by those at Derby as to whether they believe the 30-year-old is worth the £6m valuation that Ipswich Town have placed on the forward.

Nevertheless, Eustace has been asked by local media about the future of the Republic of Ireland international, having managed him while in charge of Blackburn Rovers in the 2023/24 campaign - with the attacker winning the Championship Golden Boot that season.

John Eustace answers question on Derby County's interest in Sammie Szmodics

Szmodics has scored just once this season for the Tractor Boys, and injuries have made it difficult for Kieran McKenna to get any sort of form out of the £9m man.

Now, Eustace has spoken out on the transfer situation regarding his former forward, and like always, the Derby boss has remained calm with his answer (via: BBC Radio Derby): "He’s not our player, I’m not going to talk about any player who is not with us at the moment. Obviously, we want to bring in players who are going to improve us.

"It’s very important that anybody we bring in makes us better and somebody of his quality would certainly help the group."

If there’s the money for a player like Szmodics, Eustace responded: "Yeah, possibly. I know the recruitment team are working hard to make sure we can bring more quality into the group, but if we don’t, then we have to get on with a fantastic group of players who have done very well up to now and are hungry to bring more success."

Derby County must question whether Sammie Szmodics is worth it in the long-term

Although Szmodics has proven himself in the Championship before, his statistics over the last couple of seasons at Ipswich leave plenty to be desired.

At a potential £6m, there will be a question of whether Derby can help turn his form around and get the best out of him once again. Eustace has Carlton Morris returning to the fold in the coming weeks, and with Patrick Agyemang causing great excitement, is a move for the 30-year-old the right decision?

This would be a risky signing for the Rams to make. A top 10 finish is the main aim this season, with the play-offs an ambitious target, and this money could be spent better elsewhere in the summer transfer window.

Nevertheless, Eustace has proven he knows the perfect way to play Szmodics, and he could potentially get the forward back to his 2023/24 levels.