Duncan left Liverpool in acrimonious circumstances 12 months ago; Jordon Ibe rejoins Derby on two-year contract

Derby are in advanced negotiations with Fiorentina for Bobby Duncan

Derby are in advanced negotiations with Fiorentina in the hope of striking a deal for former Liverpool striker Bobby Duncan.

The 19-year-old has not played a senior game for the Italian club since leaving Anfield in acrimonious circumstances 12 months ago.

Duncan – who is cousin to Steven Gerrard – cost Fiorentina £1.8m, but his agent levelled a string of accusations against Liverpool when he left – all of which were strenuously denied by the club.

Bobby Duncan left Liverpool in acrimonious circumstances

Derby want Duncan to join up initially with their U23s as he looks to re-build his career, but they hope that, with the advice and mentoring of Wayne Rooney, he could be a future star.

Phillip Cocu’s side have lost both of their opening Championship games this season.

Ibe returns to Derby on two-year deal

Elsewhere, Jordon Ibe has rejoined Derby on a two-year contract after leaving Bournemouth as a free agent in the summer.

The 24-year-old has already played for the Rams during a 24-game, five-month loan spell from Liverpool in 2014-15, scoring five goals.

Jordon Ibe has rejoined Derby on a two-year contract

“Jordon is a player with a lot of potential and undoubted ability,” Cocu told the club website. “He has performed for several years in the Premier League and at 24 years of age he still has many years ahead of him in his career.

“We have been keen to strengthen our attacking options out wide for some time, while we believe Derby County is the right place for Jordon at this stage of his career.”

After joining Liverpool from Wycombe in 2011, Ibe made 58 appearances for the Reds before arriving at Bournemouth for a then club-record £15m. Ibe scored five times and made 92 appearances for the Cherries before his contract expired at the end of the 2019-20 season.

Summer transfer window – key dates and times

The summer transfer window closes at 11pm on Monday October 5 with a feast of activity lined up on Transfer Deadline Day on Sky Sports News and across our Sky Sports platforms.

A domestic-only window for deals between the Premier League and EFL then runs from October 5 and closes on Friday October 16 at 5pm. Follow all the news and analysis on SSN and across Sky Sports‘ digital platforms, including with our dedicated Transfer Centre blog.