Derby County narrowly missed out on a Championship play-off spot this past season, but new recruits are being eyed up ahead of the summer transfer window opening – and Football League World understands an Ipswich Town player is on their radar.
After a significant investment on new recruits by owner David Clowes on the likes of Patrick Agyemang, Max Johnston, Carlton Morris and Derry Murkin, Rams boss John Eustace will be looking to kick on in 2026-27 – especially with the play-off spots extending to eighth place next year.
Some of Derby’s key players this past season were loanees, with David Ozoh, Bobby Clark, Ben Brereton Diaz, Sammie Szmodics and Jaydon Banel all contributing at least decently at different times of the campaign.
Szmodics was a mid-season temporary addition from Ipswich, and he scored three goals for the Rams in his short stint, but it is one of the Republic of Ireland international’s team-mates that Eustace is believed to have his eye on this summer.
Departing Ipswich Town star emerges on Derby County transfer radar
FLW understands that one player on Derby’s radar ahead of the summer transfer window is someone who is no stranger to winning promotion from the second tier – Conor Chaplin.
Having been under contract at Ipswich Town for five years, Chaplin’s time at Portman Road has come to an end, with the Suffolk outfit opting not to trigger the attacking midfielder’s one-year option following their return to the Premier League via automatic Championship promotion.
It has left the 29-year-old seeking a new club ahead of the 2026-27 season, and now, County are eyeing a move for the attacking midfielder on a free transfer.
Chaplin has plenty of second tier experience, having signed for Barnsley in 2019 having previously plied his trade in League One and Two with Portsmouth and Coventry City, but he dropped back down to the third tier in 2021, leaving Oakwell behind for Ipswich in a £750,000 deal.
He helped fire the Tractor Boys back to the second tier in 2022-23 with a monstrous 26-goal haul, and played a part too in their second successive promotion into the Premier League in 2023-24, with 13 goals and nine assists in Kieran McKenna’s side.
Game-time for Chaplin decreased though in the top flight of English football, with the majority of his 22 outings in 2024-25 coming off the bench, and in a quest for more game-time, he returned to his first club Portsmouth on loan for most of the recent campaign.
Despite only scoring twice for Pompey in the league in 2025-26, Chaplin could be in-demand as a free agent this summer if he can rediscover his form that helped Ipswich to the Premier League a few seasons ago, but Derby are the first to be eyeing a move for his services.
