Championship duo Derby County and Queens Park Rangers are likely to miss out on Icelandic star Stefán Teitur Thórdarson from Silkeborg to Preston North End.
The Iceland international is reportedly set to travel to England on Sunday 7th July 2024 to have a medical with PNE, for a fee in the region of €700,000.
QPR had previously been credited with leading the race for the 25-year-old ahead of League One promotion winners Derby County, but the player has now picked Preston for his next destination according to Danish publication Silkeborg Sport (paywall).
Thórdarson has only got six months remaining on his current deal with Silkeborg IF, having signed on a permanent deal from ÍA Akranes in October 2020. He has also had a spell with Kári on loan. The midfielder also boasts 20 caps for the Iceland national team.
Derby County Preparing For The Championship
In an exclusive update to The Deck, it was revealed that Derby were keen to look into emerging European markets this season, with Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Austria and the second division in Germany all highlighted as potential ideal locations to sign from.
Central midfield was also highlighted as a key area the club were looking to recruit, meaning this potential signing ticked both boxes for The Rams.
The club are aiming to stabilise themselves in the second tier before potentially looking to kick on next year. They are keen to ensure that they can bring in assets, with the view to further develop them which should pay dividends in the coming years.
The European markets can often hold bargains for sides willing to take the risk over whether a player can adapt to a new country and a different style of football compared to that of their English counterparts.
If this is the sort of player that Derby are targeting, it bodes well for the future.