Derby County pushing to sign Leicester City star before September 1st deadline | OneFootball

Derby have made a move to sign Hamza Choudhury

Derby County have made a move to sign Leicester City midfielder Hamza Choudhury, as the Rams look to add even more bodies to their midfield ahead of the transfer window closing in a week.

John Eustace's side have been quite slow out of the traps this season, following an impressive eighth-placed finish last year in the head coach's first full campaign in charge.

The Rams have failed to win in three competitive games thus far, two of which have been at home against promoted sides from League One, and have also let a lead slip against Charlton Athletic on the Championship's opening day.

It's been a bit of a tumultuous summer at Pride Park, with the prospect of a Saudi-led investment bid the subject of the majority of the talk surrounding Derby since last season ended.

That fell through just over two weeks ago, and the focus since has been on adding players without that investment to help give John Eustace the best possible tools to replicate last season's success.

Derby County make move for Hamza Choudhury

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Derby bolstered their midfield with the arrival of Alex Mowatt, who was set to be named West Brom captain, ahead of the Championship's opening day.

With over 400 second-tier appearances under his belt, the 31-year-old is one of the most experienced players in his position you can find, but the Rams aren't done just yet with their midfield pursuit.

According to Mike McGrath, Derby have made a move to sign Leicester midfielder Hamza Choudhury.

The 28-year-old has been with the Foxes for over 20 years, first arriving in their academy aged seven in 2005. Despite that, he's struggled to nail down a consistent starting role at the King Power Stadium and has been sent out on loan twice in the last four seasons.

The most recent came at Sheffield United in the second half of the 2024/25 campaign, where Choudhury played a decent part in the Blades' 92-point term and played every minute of their play-off run, too, which ended in Wembley heartache against Sunderland.

He remained at Leicester last season as they began life back in the Championship, even captaining them on occasion. But he only started 17 league games and was an unused substitute 11 times. Even now in League One, the 28-year-old has come off the bench in all three competitive games for Russell Martin's side.

Despite that, though, Choudhury has been part of successful second-tier sides in recent seasons. He was kept around for the Foxes' 2023/24 title-winning term before that loan spell at Bramall Lane, and has 129 Championship appearances under his belt, so would provide some more experience at the top of the division in the Derby side.

How Derby County and Leicester City fans have reacted to Hamza Choudhury interest

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There are two main reactions online to this news. Leicester fans are happy at the prospect of letting Choudhury go, while Derby fans are hoping that the move doesn't materialise at all.

"Hahahaha thank you Derby," one Foxes fan commented in response to Mike McGrath's report. "PLEASE BE TRUE," another said.

On the contrary, a Derby fan tweeted, "You have got to be kidding me."

"Not sure on this one tbf ..." another commented, while a third added, "Just in case anyone still thought we was getting Ozoh 😂😂 what a downgrade," outlining the disappointment at the prospect of missing out on bringing former loanee David Ozoh back to the club for a third stint this summer.

Derby County's midfield core is already strong without the addition of Hamza Choudhury

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It's fair to question why Derby would be keen to add yet another engine room operator to their side this summer, especially following the addition of Mowatt earlier this month.

The 31-year-old joins captain Lewis Travis as a strong option in the pivot role, with the likes of Oscar Fraulo in reserve, Bobby Clark able to play in the eight and academy product Owen Eames also in the wings in case injury issues occur.

While Clark played well off the right side of the attack on Saturday in the 2-2 draw with Cardiff City, scoring one and setting the other up, his natural position is through the middle, and his involvement highlighted how light the Rams are in terms of natural wide options.

So, to target yet another middle option, and one that was part of a dreadful Leicester side last season, has understandably raised some eyebrows amongst the Derby fans.

That being said, Choudhury has spent the majority of his career as a squad option, so he could resume that role at Pride Park. Plus, he can provide cover on either side of the back four, and that versatility could be useful across a long season, too.

But, overall, despite Derby