Deby County harbour genuine ‘interest’ in Blackburn Rovers youngster Jack Vale who is set to go out on loan this season in a bid for regular playing time, according to reports.

Who are Derby County signing?

It was a season of what could’ve been for the Rams last year, as the side fell agonisingly close to booking a place in the play-offs by a single point, and potentially reasserting themselves as a Championship side at the first time of asking.

What’s more impressive is that the club almost achieved it, having not paid for a single player since September 2020, after the EFL placed them under a transfer embargo in the summer of 2021 due to financial ‘issues’, per the BBC.

That embargo was lifted in May of this year, with the East Midlands club placed under ‘financial monitoring restrictions’ until August 2024 instead.

Even with the embargo lifted, the Paul Warne’s have yet to pay a transfer fee for a player and have been revamping their squad with free signings, welcoming Josh Vickers, Joe Ward, Callum Elder, and Curtis Nelson to Pride Park this summer.

With more work to do, Derby have turned their attention to the loan market and have identified Blackburn striker Jack Vale as a potential target as the Lancashire club opts to send him out on loan, per Football Insider.

The East Midlanders better act quickly, though, as fellow League One side Blackpool are also interested in Vale’s services.

Would Jack Vale be a good signing for Derby County?

One of County’s biggest problems last season was scoring goals. Despite missing out on a play-off place by a single point, they scored just 67 goals, eight fewer than Peterborough United above them, with the only side in the top six scoring less being Bolton on 62.

That is something Vale could help the club work on. He was prolific during his time with Rovers’ under-21 set up in Premier League 2. In just 14 appearances in the 2021/22 season, he scored 13 goals and assisted a further three.

That form earnt him his debut for the senior side, for which he has now played 24 times across the Championship, EFL Cup and FA Cup, scoring twice and providing one assist.

Whilst the step up to Championship football seems slightly too much for him at the moment, he has spoken about the benefits the game time has given him:

“It’s a big step from Under-21s football. You have to deal with that, and I think with me now, I’ve learned a lot, so I have to keep improving and getting better every day.

“I’ve got the experience now and want to play more to get more experience but what I have done this season I think will help me for next season.”

Despite struggling to find the back of the net at senior level, he is still thought of highly at the club and was offered a new long-term deal at Ewood Park last October set to keep him in Lancashire until June 2025 with an option of a further 12 months.

Whilst signing Vale on loan would still be a gamble on the part of Derby, it would be a minor one, whereas the potential upside of his arrival could be huge and be exactly what is needed for the side to get those few extra goals to drag them over the line next year.