Derby County's failed January move for Groningen defender Mike te Wierek was complicated by  interest in the Dutch club's other centre-back Samir Memisevic from China, according to The Athletic. 

The 27-year-old has agreed a pre-contract with the Rams, meaning when his current deal at Groningen expires in the summer he will move to Pride Park.

Te Wierik will have to wait until August to begin his three-year deal with the East Midlands club after a move in January couldn't be agreed in time.

According to The Athletic, early on in negotiations, the deal was held up by interest from China in the Dutch club's other central defender.

That deal eventually fell through, which left both Derby and Groningen keen to get the deal completed.

However, they didn't have enough time to complete the paperwork and the window closed before they could get the deal done.

Te Wierik signed a three-year deal with the Rams and will join up with Phillip Cocu's squad ahead of the 2020/21 season.

The 27-year-old is hugely experienced in Dutch football, with 232 Eredivisie appearances under his belt, but the Rams will have to wait to find out whether he will be a success in the Championship.

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The Verdict

In some ways it will be frustrating for Derby that they missed out on bringing the defender to the club in January due to these complications, however, the main positive is, of course, that he will join the club in the summer.

It remains to be seen how the 27-year-old will fare at Pride Park but centre-back was definitely a position of need for the East Midlands outfit.

Additionally, it's a real boost for them that they've already sorted one signing ahead of the summer window – particularly given the uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.