Derby County’s pursuit of Fenerbahce’s Ferdi Kardioglu is a non-starter, according to The Athletic journalist Ryan Conway (see Tweet below).
Was the same in January mate. Derby never even picked the phone up. Fenerbahçe are in financial trouble and need to sell. Easy to pencil in Derby as Cocu used to manage there. But was non-starter in January and very much seems that way now. Holland is where the real interest is.
— Ryan Conway (@RJConway92) March 31, 2020
The Rams have been heavily linked with the midfielder over recent times but their rumoured interest has now been played down.
Kadioglu, who is 20 years old, is a player the Rams’ boss Phillip Cocu knows well after he signed him for Fenerbahce in July 2018 and may now reunite with him at Pride Park.
The youngster struggled for game time during his first season with the Turkish giants last term but has played 15 times for their first-team in this campaign, chipping in with two goals and two assists.
Derby currently sit in 12th position in the Championship and are five points off the Play-Offs meaning they do have a chance of the top six if/when the season resumes. Cocu could be using the break at the moment to cast an eye on potential summer signings.
From the outside looking in Kadioglu seems to fit the bill for Derby as he is young and has a point to prove. However, they may have to look elsewhere for possible summer acquisitions.
The Holland Under-21 international burst onto the scene two years ago in the Eredivisie for NEC Nijmegen and scored 11 goals in 61 games which earned him his big move to the Turkish Super Lig. He appears to have interest in him from his native country at the moment and could be on his way back to the Dutch top flight soon.