Club reject bid as Derby County chase winger transfer | OneFootball

Derby County are on the hunt for a new winger ahead of the 2026/27 Championship season

Derby County are keen to bolster their wide options ahead of the 2026/27 Championship season.

The Rams narrowly missed out on the play-offs in 2025/26, finishing eighth in the second tier and four points adrift of sixth-place Hull City, who won promotion to the Premier League by beating Middlesbrough at Wembley Stadium.

Finishing seventh or eighth next season will be good enough to reach the play-offs next season, though, following the expansion of the competition to give up to eight sides a chance of achieving promotion to the Premier League.

Derby boss John Eustace knows that he must enjoy another successful summer transfer window to ensure that the Rams are in the promotion race once again next term.

Fresh Will Ferry twist emerges as Derby County eye winger

Eustace is eager to strengthen his wide options after Jaydon Banel and Ben Brereton-Diaz returned to their respective parent clubs, Burnley and Southampton, following their loan stints at Pride Park.

Brereton-Diaz notched seven goals and three assists in 40 Championship appearances for the Rams, while Banel managed a return of three goals in 14 second-tier outings.

Fellow winger Corey Blackett-Taylor's Derby future is uncertain after he went on loan to Bolton Wanderers for the second half of the season before picking up an injury.

Blackett-Taylor notched two goals and one assist in seven League One appearances for Wanderers, who clinched promotion to the Championship via the play-offs despite his absence.

Meanwhile, as per Derbyshire Live, the Rams are one of the clubs who have been linked with a summer swoop for Dundee United winger Will Ferry.

Ferry scored four goals and registered nine assists in 41 appearances across all competitions in the 2025/26 season, while he previously played in the EFL for Cheltenham Town and Crawley Town before moving to the Scottish Premiership in the summer of 2024.

According to the Dundee Courier on Tuesday, the 25-year-old's current club have rejected a bid worth £1million for his services from an unnamed European side.

Ferry's stock has risen in recent months, and he made his senior debut for the Republic of Ireland as a half-time substitute during their 5-0 win over Grenada on 16 May.

The Courier's report added that Dundee United want a seven-figure sum for the former Cheltenham man, with his contract expiring in 12 months.

According to the Daily Record's report in March, Derby are joined by Charlton Athletic and Blackburn Rovers in their interest in Ferry.

Derby could be better served by steering clear of Will Ferry deal

The exits of Banel and Brereton-Diaz, coupled with the uncertainty surrounding Blackett-Taylor's future, have left Derby needing to recruit a new winger this summer.

However, Ferry's Dundee United career doesn't suggest that he boasts the attacking credentials required to help the Rams in their mission to land a Championship play-off spot.

Since joining the Tannadice club in the summer of 2024, the Ireland international has scored just four goals in 83 appearances across all competitions, with all of them coming this season.

He also scored just two goals in his last League One season for Cheltenham, which doesn't suggest that he is up to the task of consistently threatening Championship defenders.

Therefore, Derby may be better served by turning their attention elsewhere when it comes to acquiring a new winger.