Derby County have seen their opening bid of £250,000 for winger Corey Blackett-Taylor rejected by League One rivals Charlton Athletic, according to Football Insider.
News of the Rams’ interest in the 26-year-old emerged last week when journalist Darren Witcoop reported the East Midlands side and a host of Championship clubs were keeping an eye on the attacker’s situation. The former Tranmere Rovers man is out of contract at the Valley at the end of the season, leading to speculation that Charlton may reluctantly agree to sell their star this month.
Charlton have endured a disappointing campaign thus far and sat in 13th before today’s round of fixtures. They began the season as one of the favourites to secure promotion to the Championship and a poor start saw them part company with manager Dean Holden in August. There’s been little improvement since the appointment of Michael Appleton and the Addicks are expected to have a big transfer window in order to try and salvage a play-off place.
They beat Championship opposition to the signature of Conor Coventry earlier this week, adding to the exciting signings of Lewis Fiorini and Tyreeq Bakinson.
Blackett-Taylor has been Charlton’s shining light this season, hitting eight goals whilst contributing seven assists. It’s no surprise to see this form attract the attention of other clubs, especially those challenging at the top end of League One. Derby have recovered from their own poor start to shoot up the table, where they currently sit fourth and just two points behind Bolton Wanderers in second.
Whilst news of Derby’s bid surfaced last week, Football Insider now claim the opening offer stood at £250,000 as manager Paul Warne looks to add more attacking output to his squad. Charlton are still hoping that they can convince the player to commit his future to the club but until fresh terms are agreed, the Londoner’s can expect more interest throughout the course of the month.
Derby face local rivals Burton Albion at Pride Park on Monday night as they look to overtake Bolton, who saw their fixture against Cheltenham Town postponed this afternoon after a medical emergency in the crowd.
Writer’s View
Derby’s pursuit of Blackett-Taylor looks to be ongoing and they are unlikely to be put off after this initial rejection. The first bid would have been to test the waters and they could return with an improved offer before the end of the window.
Charlton are having one final throw of the dice in an attempt to secure a top six finish, but they have a huge task on their hands to claw back the difference, which stood at 13 points before today’s fixtures. They’ll need to retain the services of their standout performer to stand any chance.
Head of Writing