Derby County promotion rivals enter race for Rams transfer target striker

Derby County's promotion rivals Peterborough United have joined the race to sign Wimbledon striker Ali Al-Hamadi, a player that the Rams had already shown interest in, according to reports.

The Iraqi striker has attracted a lot of interest from a number of clubs such as Sunderland, Leeds United, Blackburn and the Rams.

Al-Hamadi has scored ten goals in 18 games so far this season in League Two for Wimbledon. He only joined the League Two side in January last year, but has impressed enough to draw a lot of interest further up the leagues.

The Rams have been looking to sign a striker to replace talisman David McGoldrick since he departed in the summer, however they are yet to find a long term replacement and Al-Hamadi could fill that void.

The 21 year-old's signature has been estimated to be around the £1.5 million mark and according to TeamTalk, Peterborough are looking to sign the striker in January as their current striker Jonson Clarke-Harris is set to leave at the end of the season.

It will be tricky for Derby to land Ali Al-Hamadi with interest from Championship clubs and Peterborough preparing an expensive bid whilst the Rams' financial decisions continue to be under the watchful eye of the EFL following the period in administration.

Paul Warne may have to look elsewhere for a long term striker option if a number of the interested clubs decide to make a move for the Wimbledon striker.