Exclusive: Derby County join Middlesbrough in race to sign Newcastle United player | OneFootball

Derby County have joined Middlesbrough in the race for Newcastle United's Matt Targett after his loan on Teesside, Football League World understands

Derby County fans are expecting an exciting campaign to unfold in 2026/27, and as the Rams continue to make some serious strides both on and off-the-pitch, Football League World can exclusively reveal John Eustace's intentions to beat Middlesbrough in the race for a player currently contracted to Newcastle United in this summer's transfer window.

Derby will be looking to maintain an upwards direction of travel once the new season commences in August after only missing out on a top-six spot with a final-day defeat at home to Sheffield United, which ultimately consigned Eustace's side to an eighth-placed finish but represented remarkable progress on the previous term's dramatic battle against relegation straight back to League One.

Exciting times could well be afoot on and away from the field in equal measure at Pride Park, with the East Midlands outfit appearing poised to launch a fresh bid for promotion out of the Championship while, as per recent reports, Saudi boxing mogul Turki Alalshikh continues to advance his efforts to invest in the Rams.

Popular head coach Eustace can only lay his own efforts towards on-pitch matters, though, and after FLW exclusively broke the news of interest in experienced forward Conor Chaplin just last week following his recent release from Ipswich Town, we have now learned of another player pursuit in what could soon result in a fascinating second-tier transfer tussle.

Derby County join Middlesbrough in Newcastle United, Matt Targett transfer race

Derby are bidding to waste little time with their off-season squad-building efforts to lay the groundwork for a meaningful attempt at breaking into the play-offs next time around, and Eustace is hoping to beat off competition presented by Middlesbrough to win the race for a Newcastle player.

And Football League World understands that the latest target to emerge on Derby's radar heading into the upcoming summer transfer window is Matt Targett, who recently returned to the Magpies after enjoying a fruitful season-long loan on Teesside.

Having signed for Newcastle from Aston Villa in the summer of 2022, the 30-year-old is approaching the conclusion of his contract in the North East and is primed to leave Eddie Howe's side on a free transfer at the end of next month.

Following an impressive loan spell back in the Championship, however, Targett is expected to be a hot property in this summer's window and while he has been linked with a return to Middlesbrough, the play-off finalists are now poised to face fresh competition from Derby.

FLW has learned that the Rams are ready to go toe-to-toe with Boro in the race to sign Targett after the left-sided defender contributed four goals and four assists apiece in 42 appearances to help Kim Hellberg's secure a fifth-placed finish and a subsequent route to the final at Wembley against Hull City, albeit in place of Southampton following the Saints' stunning Spygate-enforced expulsion in the wake of an initial semi-final triumph over the Teessiders.

Targett's immediate future remains unclear for the time being, although it represents no surprise to see Derby assessing the market for potentially-available recruits at left-back.

Derry Murkin made the spot his own after arriving from Eredivisie outfit FC Utrecht in February.

However, the Rams' decision to release Callum Elder at the end of his contract means that Eustace is now somewhat light of options in that area of the pitch and has decided to enter the intensifying race to land Targett, who established himself among the Championship's top performers in his position at the Riverside Stadium.