Derby County and Celtic in transfer race to sign Chelsea forward | OneFootball

The Rams are interested in the striker as Carlton Morris continues to recover from injury.

Derby County are in the hunt for Chelsea's David Datro Fofana, as John Eustace looks to add another striker to his ranks at Pride Park.

That's according to Fabrizio Romano, with the Rams showing an interest in the 23-year-old, who is currently on loan at Turkish outfit Karagumruk. He's scored seven goals in 14 games for the club, but now his parent club are looking for a permanent exit.

Fofana has made four appearances for Chelsea in his career after signing from Molde FK in 2023 for a fee reported to be around the £8m-£10m mark. However, he has spent the majority of his time at the West London outfit on loan, with spells at Union Berlin, Burnley and Gotezpe.

Nonetheless, with Carlton Morris still recovering from injury, Eustace is keen to add another reinforcement to his forward line, but Derby face competition for the Ivorian's signature.

Derby County battle Celtic and Royal Antwerp for David Datro Fofana

Romano has stated that the Rams are keen on the striker, but Scottish giants Celtic and Belgian outfit Royal Antwerp are also targeting a move for Fofana.

At 23, the three-time capped Ivory Coast international has plenty of top flight experience, playing in Norway's, Germany's, Turkey's and England's highest divisions already in his career, and he would be a huge coup for the Championship side.

He scored four goals and registered one assist in 15 Premier League games for Burnley in a loan spell in the second half of the 2023/24 campaign. His best scoring season came for Molde in 2022, as he fired in 15 league goals in just 24 matches.

Fofana also has four Champions League appearances to his name and he would be a statement signing for Derby in the second tier.

Carlton Morris and David Datro Fofana could form an incredible partnership for Derby County

Since losing Morris to injury in November, the Rams have struggled to have a solid focal point in the final third with neither Patrick Agyemang nor Lars-Jorgen Salvesen offering the same style of play in the number nine role.

However, Fofana is an out-and-out striker who will be able to plug the gap until Derby's talisman returns to action, and when he does, there is an incredible opportunity for Eustace to play with two strikers.

The Rams ended last season in a 5-3-2 formation, and arguably they were at their best under Eustace in this system, and the signing of the Chelsea forward would allow the Championship's 13th-place side to return to that, while Agyemang, Rhian Brewster and Salvesen will provide competition from the bench.

Morris has been the star of the season for Derby, and offering him more support will only help them in their push up the league table and potentially a late charge for the play-offs.