Derby County are hoping to seal a deal for Brighton's Matt Clarke as Phillip Cocu looks to add a new centre-back ahead of the new season.

The 22-year-old only joined the Seagulls this summer after impressing in League One over the years for Portsmouth, however first-team opportunities in the top-flight will be hard to come by.

Shane Duffy and Lewis Dunk are the main centre-backs for Brighton and even though the latter has been linked with Leicester City, it appears Graham Potter could look for a replacement in the Championship, with Sky claiming Albion have lodged a bid in excess of £20m for Bristol City's Adam Webster.

Therefore, Clarke may need to look elsewhere for game time and Sun reporter Tom Barclay has revealed on Twitter that the left-footer may make a move to Pride Park.

"Hearing Matt Clarke could go on loan to Derby #bhafc #dcfc."

The Rams are short in that department after Fikayo Tomori, who won Player of the Year in the previous campaign, returned to Chelsea after his successful loan in the east Midlands.

The Verdict

This would be an outstanding signing for Derby as Clarke seems to tick all the boxes for what they are looking for.

Firstly, a centre-back has to be a priority and the former Pompey man can also play out from the back, which is something that the new manager will demand.

As well as that, Clarke will be hungry to prove himself as he hasn't really played at this level consistently and he will want to show Brighton that he will be able to play for them in the years to come.

However, this deal seems as though it may depend on other transfers going through so Rams fans may need to be patient.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.