Derby County want to sign goalkeeper Christian Walton from Brighton and Hove Albion.
The Rams are in the hunt for a new ‘keeper this summer and have identified the 23-year-old as a potential target, as per a report by Derbyshire Live.
Walton has impressed on loan over the past two seasons with Wigan Athletic but his chances of breaking into Brighton’s first-team are slim due to the form of their number one Matthew Ryan over the past two years.
He started his career at Plymouth Argyle before signing for Brighton in 2013. He has played four times for the Seagulls since joining them but has spent most of his time out on loan to gain first-team experience.
Walton’s first loan spells came in the 2015/16 season where he spent the first half of the campaign at Bury before returning to Plymouth for the remainder. He then had separate spells at Luton Town and Southend United last season before he was snapped up by Wigan in 2017.
He played a key part in Paul Cook’s side winning the League One title in his first season at the DW Stadium and then helped them stay up in the Championship in the last campaign.
He has also represented England at Under-19, Under-20 and Under-21 level so is seen as a promising talent.
Derby’s current goalkeeping options are Kelle Roos, who is out-of-contract at the end of the month, and the out-of-favour Scott Carson, meaning there is a pathway into their starting eleven for Walton.
