Newcastle on alert as Derby County consider selling winger Tom Ince

Championship winners Newcastle United could be on alert as Derby County are willing to listen to offers for midfielder Tom Ince this summer, according to The Daily Mirror.

The 25-year-old enjoyed an excellent campaign in the second tier this term, bagging 14 goals and laying on six assists to help the Rams to a ninth place finish in the Championship, although they were 13 points off the play-off places.

This adds to the 12 goals he netted for the East Midlands outfit in the previous season, and with 11 goals in 18 games in his first spell at the iPro Stadium, a loan stint back in 2015, the former England Under-21 international has been one of the best players outside the Premier League in recent times.

However, it has been reported that Derby are willing to listen to offers of around £10 million for the 25-year-old, with manager Gary Rowett, who replaced the sacked Steve McClaren back in March, set to cull his squad ahead of the next season.

And this could tempt Rafa Benitez’s Newcastle to again express an interest in Ince, given that they did so back in January, ahead of their return to the top-flight next season.

The Magpies pipped Chris Hughton’s Brighton to the title on the final day of the campaign for their second Championship crown in seven years, and boss Benitez appears to already be thinking about how he can improve the squad so they are competitive in the top tier.

And signing a player like Ince for just £10 million, given his ability to produce moments of brilliance at any given time, could be exactly what the Magpies are looking for as they prepare to embark on their top-flight campaign.