Derby County are busy plotting their summer transfer business as they look to carry on where they left off last season when they just missed out on the play-offs
Newcastle United defender Matt Targett is reportedly a target for Derby County.
Newcastle United defender Matt Targett is reportedly a target for Derby County.
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Derby County are rivalling Middlesbrough for defender Matt Targett, according to reports.
Football League World claims that Derby are interested in the left-back who is expected to leave Newcastle United this summer.
Targett's contract is coming to an end in the north east and he is destined to wave goodbye to the club after a four-year stay on Tyneside.
The 30-year-old has spent the season on loan at Middlesbrough, where he almost won promotion to the top flight, but Kim Hellberg's side lost the play-off final to Hull.
Derby do have an opening at left-back after the departure of Callum Elder who was released at the end of the campaign following a three-year stay at Pride Park.
Targett has a wealth of experience in the Premier League and at the international level, having started his career at Southampton, where he spent six years.
During that time, he had a loan spell with Fulham before joining Aston Villa in 2019. In the 2020-21 campaign, he won the players' player of the season and was the only player to play all 38 Premier League games.
A £15m move to Newcastle United then followed in 2022, where he signed a four-year contract. He then joined Middlesbrough on loan last summer.
There, he played 46 games in all competitions and scored four league goals. His experience is likely to appeal to head coach John Eustace, who has been keen to recruit players who know the Championship.
Speaking about Targett earlier this year, Hellberg said: "He’s such a good guy. He’s been playing through pain, all sorts of things in different periods. He’s always got a smile on his face and has been absolutely brilliant."
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