Shackel Next In?

Derby County are reportedly in the driving seat in the race for Barnsley defender Jason Shackell with a bid reportedly approaching £1million including add-ons looking to have tempted the Yorkshire club. Reports in some areas suggest the defender has agreed personal terms with The Rams although official sources from the club refuse to comment on this. The player is currently away on holiday and is expected to meet with manger Keith Hill when he returns later this week but the newly appointed Barnsley supremo is not expected to stand in the player`s way should he want to leave and he has already looked to bring in a replacement in the form of Bournemouth defender Jason Pearce.

The Tykes have not yet given up hope of keeping their reigning player of the year although director Jack Rowing did not sound hopeful when telling the Yorkshire Post:

'Our fans should know that we want to keep Jason at the club. He's a very good player and had a very good season for us. He was a key player for us last season and has two years left to run on his contract but a lot depends on what the player wants to do. The manager and Jason are expected to speak towards the end of the week, so until then, we don't know what's going to happen.'

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