Sources: Derby County agree to sign Brighton star Carl Rushworth ahead of Portsmouth
Derby County have agreed to sign Brighton goalkeeper Carl Rushworth, Football Insider understands.
The 21-year-old is highly-regarded at the Premier League club and they feel he would be best served going out on loan to continue his development after a successful spell on loan at Walsall last term.
A Derby source has told Football Insider that the terms of a loan deal are agreed in principle and an announcement is imminent.
It will be a blow to Portsmouth, who have also been keen on luring Rushworth this summer.
Derby have been in the market for a keeper to bolster their threadbare squad after losing goalkeepers Ryan Allsop and Kelle Roos earlier this summer.
Rushworth kept 11 clean sheets in 43 games for Walsall as they finished 16th in League Two in 2021-22.
He has three years left to run on his Brighton contract and is set to test himself at League One level for the first time with Derby.
The Rams were relegated to the third-tier after a 21-point deduction last season and Liam Rosenior has since replaced Wayne Rooney as manager.
A takeover was completed by local property developer David Clowes on Friday (1 July) ending months of administration.
They have since signed Tom Bharkuizen and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing on free transfers from Preston North End and Sheffield Wednesday, respectively.
They have also added goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith from Wednesday and he is set to compete with Rushworth for the gloves in 2022-23.
Allsop ended the 2021-22 campaign as number one but has now moved to Cardiff while his understudy Roos has joined Aberdeen.
In other news, Burnley are lining up an offer for a Derby County 21-year-old.