Liverpool player could be Derby County's ideal Louie Barry alternative | OneFootball

The Rams are linked with a loan move for a young Liverpool striker, who could provide the perfect alternative should they miss out on Louie Barry.

Derby County have been one of the many Championship clubs chasing Aston Villa’s young star Louie Barry in January, but with the Rams now linked with another young striker on loan, they could be onto the ideal alternative if their pursuit of Barry is ultimately unsuccessful.

Earlier today, Football League World exclusively revealed that Derby had sent scouts to watch the Reds youngster Jayden Danns on Wednesday night, alongside representatives from fellow Championship outfit Millwall.

The 19-year-old featured for Liverpool’s Under 21s side and scored their only goal of the game, but they were defeated 3-1 by Sparta Prague in the Premier League International Cup.

With Sheffield Wednesday, Middlesbrough and Stoke City all interested in Barry (according to the Daily Record), Derby will need another option to turn to if Barry escapes their clutches and Danns could be the perfect man for the job.

Jayden Danns could be a great alternative to Louie Barry

Derby’s interest in Barry is understandable considering the young forward has been one of the stories of the entire EFL so far in 2024/25.

The 21-year-old netted 15 goals from just 23 league games for Stockport County in League One, including several stunning efforts.

He has since been recalled by Villa, who are likely to send him back out on loan, but this time to Championship level.

However, when you compare the option of sending him to Derby with some of the other interested parties, it is perhaps unlikely that Paul Warne’s Rams will land the young talent.

Both Sheffield Wednesday and Middlesbrough are currently performing significantly better than Derby in the Championship and could represent more attractive loan clubs for Villa, given that they will want Barry playing in a team who can help him shine.

Derby’s struggles in front of goal have been well publicised, which makes you question whether Aston Villa would be reluctant to send Barry to a team that are creating little.

With that in mind, Liverpool’s Danns could be the perfect alternative option for Derby.

The young striker, who is the son of former Crystal Palace and Bolton Wanderers midfielder Neil Danns, is beginning to get more first-team opportunities with Liverpool.

He scored in the 4-0 win over League Two Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup last weekend – a strike which is already his third goal at senior level, from just seven appearances.

It’s clear that hopes for Danns are extremely high at Anfield. He came off the bench to play 11 minutes in the second leg of Liverpool’s Europa League quarter-final defeat to Atalanta last season.

It’s not at all common for a player to be exposed to that level of football at such a young age, unless the future expectations for them are sky-high.

Despite Danns beginning to make strides towards featuring in the first-team on a regular basis, Liverpool appear to be keen to get him out on loan and playing senior men’s football on a regular basis.

Derby could be the perfect club for them to send him to.

The Rams have been desperate for more firepower, with little goalscoring support for Jerry Yates throughout the first-half of the season. Derby aren’t blessed with fantastic strength in depth in their attacking areas, so Danns would likely get a substantial amount of gametime to prove himself at Championship level.

For Derby’s part, they would get a talented young striker, capable of adding pace and athleticism to their attack, qualities not too dissimilar to what Barry would bring.

Derby likely still need another striker through the door

Despite this week’s addition of Norwegian frontman Lars-Jørgen Salvesen, Derby could arguably still do with another option at the top of the pitch.

Swansea City loanee Yates has performed admirably so far this campaign, but as the only Rams player with over five league goals to his name, he badly needs support in front of goal if Derby are to fire themselves away from the relegation scrap.

Kayden Jackson has been used more in wide areas by Warne and there aren’t a great deal of viable options elsewhere in the squad at the minute.

Conor Washington appears to have been frozen out, while James Collins has played just 209 minutes of league football all season. Derby also have very high hopes for youngster Dajaune Brown, but the Championship has proved to be too much of a step-up for him at present.

Therefore, even with their latest Scandinavian addition, Derby will surely be keen to bring another frontman through the door. And from Danns’ and Liverpool’s perspective, there should be no shortage of gametime if a move to Pride Park ends up materialising.