Derby County have finally made a breakthrough in their pursuit of Charlton Athletic winger Corey Blackett-Taylor, with their latest bid having been accepted, according to Derbyshire Live.
The Rams have been chasing the 26-year-old since the transfer window reopened at the beginning of the month. They saw their initial bid of £250,000 rejected last week amid speculation that a number of Championship clubs were also keeping tabs on the situation.
Manager Paul Warne has his sights firmly set on promotion from League One this season, and his side are currently third in the table. However, they are just one point off leaders Portsmouth having played a game less and level on points with second-placed Peterborough United.
As a result, reinforcements have been targeted to try and get them over the line. Blackett-Taylor has headed the list for some time and it is said that both clubs have been in negotiations throughout the week.
The former Tranmere Rovers man has been in sublime form this season and has arguably been the major positive from Charlton’s miserable campaign to date. He has eight goals and seven assists in 25 league fixtures, although missed the 2-1 defeat against Peterborough last weekend.
The Addicks began the season as one of the early favourites for promotion, but they are currently on a run of 10 games without a win in all competitions and slipped to 13th with their latest loss. Manager Michael Appleton has been heavily backed in the transfer window thus far and confirmed their fifth arrival of the month earlier today when they unveiled defender Rarmani Edmonds-Green from Huddersfield Town.
Attackers are also the priority and the Londoners are expected to complete the signings of Freddie Ladapo and Uche Ikpeazu, whilst interest in Posh striker Jonson Clarke-Harris has been heavily rumoured.
It looks as if Blackett-Taylor is set for pastures new though, with Derbyshire Live claiming that personal terms will not be an issue and he will head to Pride Park to complete his medical.
Should the deal be completed swiftly, it is unlikely the attacker will be included for tomorrow’s trip to Lincoln City, but he could make the journey to Reading on Tuesday night.
Writer’s View
Derby County will be delighted to have finally got this deal over the line and will be hoping they can integrate him into the squad as soon as possible. Paul Warne has done a fantastic job by pulling his team into title contention, especially after he was under immense pressure during the early stages of the season.
Blackett-Taylor could prove to be the final piece of the jigsaw and the attacker will be hoping that he can finally earn another shot at Championship football, having briefly represented Aston Villa in the second tier at the beginning of his career.
