Derby County fired "bidding war" warning over Ipswich Town transfer as Birmingham City circle | OneFootball

FLW's Derby County fan pundit claims they should avoid a bidding war with Birmingham City for Ipswich Town's Jack Taylor and sign David Ozoh instead.

After a disappointing end to last season, Derby County will be looking to mount another promotion challenge in the Championship in the upcoming campaign.

It was a year of progress for Derby last season as they spent much of the campaign in play-off contention, but they missed out on a place in the top six on the final day after a home defeat to Sheffield United, albeit Hull City's victory meant that even a win would not have been enough for John Eustace's side.

Derby County plotting Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace transfer raids

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With the play-offs now going down to eighth place, Derby will be optimistic that they can improve on last season's near miss, but it has been a relatively quiet start to the summer at Pride Park.

The Rams have brought in two new signings so far this summer, with defender Charlie Taylor and winger Filip Bilbija arriving from Southampton and Paderborn respectively, while midfielder Bobby Clark has completed a permanent move from Red Bull Salzburg for a fee of around £6 million after a successful loan spell.

However, Derby are believed to be closing in on a fresh deal for Ipswich Town forward Sammie Szmodics, while they are also reportedly preparing to make a bid for another of last season's loanees, David Ozoh, who is valued at around £5 million by Crystal Palace.

It appears Ozoh is not the only midfielder on the Rams' radar, with TWTD reporting that the Midlands outfit are one of three Championship clubs keen on Ipswich's Jack Taylor, along with Birmingham City and Sheffield United.

Taylor scored one goal in 39 league appearances for the Tractor Boys last season as they won automatic promotion to the Premier League, with 24 of those coming from the start, but Derby may have work to do to land the 28-year-old's signature, with Birmingham said to be leading the race.

Derby County urged to secure David Ozoh reunion ahead of Jack Taylor deal

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When asked which of the two linked midfielders he would most like to sign, FLW's Derby County fan pundit Shaun Woodward insisted that the Rams should prioritise sealing a return for Ozoh instead of battling Birmingham for Taylor.

"I think Jack Taylor is a very solid player," Shaun told FLW.

"He's had a good four or five seasons under his belt consistently playing 30 or 40 games a season.

"He's never let Ipswich down and is a really reliable, solid pro.

"He's a good age as well in his late 20s, he's still got quite a few years left in him.

"If he keeps himself fit, he's a really solid player to bring in.

"My concern would be that we don't want to be getting into some kind of bidding war with Birmingham.

"I don't think he's that good that we need to be paying over the odds.

"There's a bit more risk involved with a player like David Ozoh because of his injury record, but if he stays fit, you've got a player there that's seven years younger with a massive ceiling to make a lot of money on him.

"For me, I would still be looking at Ozoh.

"If that's not possible, Taylor isn't a bad one to keep tabs on, and if we can swoop in at the right price, then great, but, for me, Ozoh should be the priority."

Derby County facing transfer frustration amid Jack Taylor, Birmingham City update

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Taylor has won promotion from the Championship on two occasions during his time at Ipswich, and that experience could be invaluable for Derby as they look to launch another push for the Premier League next season.

It seems the Rams are set for a big cash injection amid reports that Saudi Arabian boxing tycoon Turki Alalshikh is closing in on a deal to invest in the club, and that could give them the funds to compete with Birmingham for Taylor's signature.

However, with the Blues seemingly in pole position to land Taylor, Derby may need to focus their attention on sealing a reunion with Ozoh, and the financial boost from Alalshikh's arrival will likely enable them to meet Palace's reported £5 million valuation of the 21-year-old.