Eustace loves him: Derby now keen on "incredible" 100+ career goal forward

Derby County are now keen on signing a 100+ career goal forward this summer, with John Eustace personally driving the move, according to a report.

Derby’s summer transfer plans taking shape

It was always going to be tough to avoid relegation from the Championship in Derby’s first season back in the second tier, but having just about got the job done, Eustace will be looking to bring in signings capable of helping his side push up the table next season.

The Rams have set out to raid some of their Championship rivals next summer, having submitted a bid for Hull City right-back Cody Drameh, although they did not receive the response they would’ve been hoping for, with the proposal being knocked back.

Drameh is not the only defender in Eustace’s sights, however, with enquiries also being made over centre-back Ricardo Santos, who is available on a free transfer upon leaving Bolton Wanderers.

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The Championship outfit are clearly keen to bolster their options at the back, despite maintaining a decent defensive record throughout the 2024-25 campaign, given their league position, shipping just 56 goals across the campaign.

However, there is also an eagerness to strengthen their attacking options, with a report from Derbyshire Live revealing Derby are now keen on a move for Andi Weimann, who previously spent three years at Pride Park from 2015 to 2018.

Eustace is personally pushing for the Rams to bring back Weimann, who will be available on a free transfer, should the forward fail to agree a new contract to extend his stay with current employers Blackburn Rovers.

“Incredible” Weimann could be tempted by Derby move

The 33-year-old clearly has a strong relationship with Eustace, with the 45-year-old also signing him for Blackburn last summer, and he received high praise from his manager last season, who said: “It doesn’t matter how old he is (or) how young he is when you have a player of that quality.

“Everyone can see the impact he has had on and off the pitch. We are very fortunate that he decided to sign here.”

Former Bristol City boss Nigel Pearson is also an admirer of the Austrian, describing his desire and work ethic as “incredible”, and he has a plethora of experience at Championship level, which could be very useful for Derby.

The Blackburn forward has spent the majority of his career in the second tier, scoring 74 times in the competition, and after picking up seven goals last term, he now has over 100 career goals to his name.

As such, Weimann could be a fantastic signing for Derby, who will be hoping his existing relationship with Eustace will be helpful in convincing the attacker to move to Pride Park.