Derby County are interested in a deal to bring Matty Longstaff to Pride Park this summer.

What's the talk?

That's according to a report by Chronicle Live, who claim that Wayne Rooney is interested in taking the Newcastle United midfielder on a season-long loan deal in the upcoming transfer window.

It is reported that Steve Bruce is unsure as to whether he would be willing to allow the 21-year-old to leave St. James' Park in the coming months, although the 60-year-old is thought to be targeting the signing of a midfielder this summer, which could then facilitate Longstaff's temporary departure.

Rooney must move

After bursting onto the scene by scoring the winner on his Premier League debut against Manchester United back in October of 2019, things have not continued on the same trajectory for Longstaff at Newcastle.

Following his debut, the £4.5m-rated man made a further eight top-flight appearances in the Magpies' 2019/20 campaign, over which he scored one more goal and averaged a SofaScore match rating of 6.61 - with Martin Keown going as far to dub the youngster as "like a Paul Scholes" as a result of his performances.

Indeed, interest was high in the £24k-per-week midfielder the following summer, with Serie A side Udinese offering the former England U20 international a five-year contract, although Longstaff ultimately decided to remain with his boyhood club.

However, last season, Bruce utilised the former England U20 international less than during his debut campaign, with the 21-year-old being limited to five Premier League appearances, over which he averaged a SofaScore match rating of 6.62.

As such, despite the fact that expectations are clearly high for the player Bruce claimed has a "huge future" at Newcastle, he would very much appear to be stagnating in the North East at present as a result of his lack of minutes - which is where Derby County could come in.

With Rooney desperately seeking summer improvements to his Rams side that barely survived relegation last term, the addition of a player with a great deal to prove to both his manager and the wider footballing world could well be something of a match made in heaven.

So, this would lead us to believe that the 35-year-old Derby boss should do all he can to convince Longstaff of a move to Pride Park this summer, as the midfielder could bring with him a bit of fight that may well make all the difference in the Rams' upcoming Championship campaign.

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