Fans are ecstatic as Derby County has proposed to sign an incredible player who has been compared to Lionel Messi…

With less than a month until the 2024–25 Championship campaign, Derby County is putting together a team prepared for a fight for survival.

While a trade for Ebou Adams is almost complete, Paul Warne has managed to bring in four new signings: Ben Osborn, Kayden Jackson, Jerry Yates, and Kenzo Goudmijn.

Although Derby has had a great start to the summer transfer window, Warne has acknowledged that the team will need to add at least seven players in order to maintain its position in the second division.

The Rams’ top priority is undoubtedly finding a new custodian or two, but they also need to add a difference-maker to their roster to give their forward line more flair.

Derby County offers Karamoko Dembele for sale.

Karamoko Dembele became well-known as one of the world’s most promising young players when he was just 13 years old and playing for Celtic’s under-20 team. He was known for his ability to dance past defenders.

Regretfully, the Englishman broke under the pressure of expectation and left Celtic in 2022 to join Brest in Ligue 1.

The 21-year-old was transferred on loan to Blackpool for the previous season, where he shone in League One, after making 15 substitute appearances in the French first league in 2022–2023.

Dembele scored nine goals and provided fourteen assists for the Seasiders in all competitions, displaying flashes of the talent many saw in him at a very young age.

Derby reportedly expressed interest in the quick-witted winger last month, although it was later stated that Dembele was not part of their plans.

Journalist Darren Witcoop now reports that Bolton Wanderers has confirmed their interest in the young player, and the Rams, Sheffield Wednesday, and Portsmouth have all “made offers” for him.

Karamoko Dembele is capable of dazzling in Derby’s Championship game.

Derby would benefit from adding a winger who can create a chance out of nothing and make all the difference in the final third.

Dembele embodies that description with his twinkle toes and low centre of gravity, which allow him to effortlessly glide past defenders and make the right plays in attack.

Former Park Villa football development manager David Feeney, who worked with the jet-heeled winger for four years, has already compared him to the legendary Lionel Messi.

“I think he is very similar to Lionel Messi,” Feeney said in a 2016 interview with the Mirror. “If he has the right guidance and stays at Celtic then the sky is the limit for him.”

Dembele has had difficulty realising the potential that his early years held, but he is now primed to dominate the Championship following a strong run at Blackpool.

It would be a great commercial move for the Rams to sign the former Celtic sensation, who might fetch an eight-figure contract in the future and provide excellent cutting from the right flank.

In fact, by signing the “special” talent before their competitors in the lower division, Derby would truly be making a statement.