Exclusive: Derby County defender in talks to leave Pride Park - Barnsley in pole position | OneFootball

Jake Rooney could be heading to Oakwell in a late deal

Barnsley are closing in on a late loan move for Derby County centre-back Jake Rooney, Football League World has been exclusively informed.

The Tykes have been one of the early success stories in League One so far, as they sit fourth in the standings going into September under novice head coach Conor Hourihane.

Keeping hold of star players Davis Keillor-Dunn, Luca Connell and Adam Phillips has been important for Hourihane at this late stage, but so has signing players, and they look to be on the verge of adding a new defender to their ranks.

Barnsley closing in on Derby County defender Jake Rooney

FLW has been told that Derby centre-half Jake Rooney is set to head to Oakwell on a temporary basis for the rest of 2025-26.

The 22-year-old is on the fringes of the first-team at Pride Park, with John Eustace using the Liverpool-born man twice this season already - albeit both were starts in the EFL Cup.

With several defenders ahead of Rooney in the pecking order though with the Rams, they are set to send him out for more regular football, having signed the likes of Danny Batth and Dion Sanderson to add to Matt Clarke, Sondre Langas and Craig Forsyth.

And Hourihane is set to do a deal with his former club to sign Rooney, having plied his trade for the Rams 98 times between 2022 and 2024 before returning to South Yorkshire with the Reds.

Rooney has played 23 first-team games for Derby since joining the club in 2022 from Burnley on a free transfer, but none of them have come in the Championship since their promotion in 2024 - 12 appearances were in League One in 2022-23 and 2023-24.

He will now continue his development at Oakwell, where he will look to battle with the likes of Jack Shepherd, Josh Earl and Mael de Gevigney for a starting spot.