Derby County have submitted a bid for Newcastle defender Grant Hanley, according to a report in the Daily Mirror.
The newspaper claims that the Championship club have put a bid in of £4million for the 25-year-old, who recently earned promotion to the Premier League with Rafa Benitez’ side.
Centre-back Hanley is a senior member of the Magpies squad and joined the club last summer for £5million when he made the switch from Blackburn.
However, since his move, he only started five Championship matches as Benitez’ side went on to clinch the title on the last day of the season.
Considering he struggled for game time in the second tier of English football, it is highly likely that Hanley will struggle even further now that his team will be playing top-flight football next term.
The report also states that Rams manager Rowett, who was sacked as Birmingham boss in December, wants proven performers and leaders in order to push his team into promotion contenders in what will be a summer rebuild.
Hanley has plenty of experience in the Championship, having played 162 matches in the second-tier, mainly for Blackburn Rovers.
Added with that, he only has a small amount of experience in the Premier League, having played 31 matches for Rovers in the top-flight.
Hanley’s contract at St James’ Park is due to expire in 2021 and considering that he is a backup option for Benitez, a transfer between the two clubs could possibly happen in the summer.