Derby County have already decided on who they want to replace Will Hughes this summer, according to The Mirror via the Derby Telegraph.
Hughes, 22, looks set to leave Derby this summer after six years at the club. During this time, he has made 187 appearances and scored 12 goals. Premier League side Watford have agreed a deal to sign the midfielder for £7 million and the deal is expected to go through when Hughes returns from the Under-21 European Championships, subject to him passing a medical.
Derby County have worked fast and reportedly already decided on who they want to replace Hughes at the club. It is believed that Derby will try to sign Stoke City midfielder Glenn Whelan when Hughes leaves the club as part of an effort to get the club promoted to the Premier League.
[interaction id=”594ceeacf03c53313d6ee2dc”]It is understood that Gary Rowett wants to use the money from Hughes’ sale to finance a squad rebuild in the hope of mounting a serious promotion challenge this season.
After making 159 appearances for Sheffield Wednesday between 2004 and 2008, Whelan signed for Stoke for £500,000. Now 33, he has made 338 appearances for the club and scored eight goals. The midfielder made 30 Premier League appearances for Stoke last season, so is by no means out of the team.
Gary Rowett reportedly wants to sign “consistent, dogged performers” and Whelan is certainly this type of player. Stoke want £1 million for Whelan, with Aston Villa having a bid of £500,000 turned down earlier in the transfer window.
Rowett is reportedly also interested in signing former Crystal Palace midfielder Joe Ledley, who is available on a free transfer this summer. Ledley, 30, had been at Palace since 2014 but wasn’t consistently in the first team last season.
