Derby County are interested in taking Cardiff City centre-back Curtis Nelson to Pride Park in January, according to this morning's Patreon report from reporter Alan Nixon.

The 29-year-old has made just seven league appearances for the Bluebirds so far this season, falling out of favour with Steve Morison and not being made one of the first names on the teamsheet by current interim boss Mark Hudson.

Currently behind Cedric Kipre and Perry Ng, he could also be behind Jack Simpson in the pecking order when the ex-Rangers man returns to action and that could limit his game time in the Welsh capital.

Derby boss Paul Warne is one man who is keen to capitalise on this by striking a deal to take him to Pride Park, with the Rams' boss looking to add more depth to his first team following their rebuild in the summer.

The East Midlands outfit already brought in James Chester to come in and compete for a starting spot at the back, though Warne may not be keen on relying on experienced pair Curtis Davies and Richard Stearman to remain fully fit despite the admirable job they did in the face of adversity last season.

And Nelson could possibly be the man needed to bolster their central defence as they look to get back to the Championship at the first time of asking.

Verdict:

You have to look at this deal from three different perspectives.

For the player, this is a good opportunity to be a regular starter, although he isn't guaranteed to be one of the first names on the teamsheet at Pride Park considering the existing options Warne has at his disposal.

This is why the player needs to seek reassurances regarding his playing time if he is to make the step up, because it would be pointless for him to move down a division and move to a different area just to be stuck on the bench again.

For Derby, having someone who has plenty of second-tier experience under his belt will be valuable for their cause and could give them the push needed to remain solid in defence, something that could be vital for their promotion push as they look to finish above the likes of Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday.

And in terms of the Bluebirds, they may be willing to offload him considering the fact he has underperformed at times and as a player that has been there for a number of years, perhaps it's time for both parties to sever ties.