Derby County have been dealt a knockout blow in their bid to bring Tom Carroll to Pride Park this summer.

What's the talk?

That's according to a report by the BBC, who revealed that the former Queens Park Rangers midfielder has joined League One outfit Ipswich Town on a one-year deal.

The 29-year-old had spent a large chunk of pre-season on trial with Wayne Rooney's side, but with a recent report revealing that Derby are unable to make further additions to their squad due to Mel Morris' lack of assurances to the EFL regarding funds, the club have now missed out on the former England under-21 international.

Rooney will be fuming

With Rooney recently revealing that he is working around the clock in order to try and secure deals for the players in training with the club before they were snapped up by other club, the fact that Carroll has now joined Ipswich - seemingly as a direct result of Morris' lack of action regarding his issues with the EFL - must leave the 35-year-old fuming with the club's owner.

Indeed, the midfielder would have been a fantastic addition to Rooney's options in the middle of the park, with the 29-year-old impressing for QPR - who also attempted to re-sign the player this summer - last season.

Over his 22 Championship appearances for Mark Warburton's side last term, the £1.62m-rated man provided one assist and created three big chances for his teammates, taking an average of 0.5 shots and making 1.1 key passes per game.

The man who Jamie Carragher once dubbed an "outstanding" player also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of 0.6 interceptions, 1.3 tackles and 0.7 clearances and winning 2.7 duels per match.

As such, considering these impressive performances, as well as Derby's distinct lack of depth in central midfield, the signing of the £35k-per-week Carroll would have appeared to be something of a perfect deal for Rooney before the closure of the transfer window.

However, with the former Tottenham Hotspur man now playing his football in League One with the Tractor Boys, the Derby boss will need to turn his attention elsewhere in the summer market, with time starting to run out for the 35-year-old to get his business done.

In other news: Alan Nixon drops worrying Mel Morris claim which will leave Derby County fans fuming