Adam Pearson believes Derby's early move to sign Lee Croft is set to pay dividends next week.
Rams closing in on out-of-contract winger
Derby's chairman of football Adam Pearson says the club are closing in on signing Lee Croft.
The Championship outfit made an early move for the winger in an attempt to beat off competition for the out-of-contract 24-year-old.
This move now seems set to pay dividends, says Pearson, who believes the former Norwich player will be one of the best free signings of the transfer window.
He told the
Derby Telegraph: "We are getting really close on Lee Croft and should be able to make an announcement on that around the middle of next week.
Targeted early
"He is someone we targeted really early because we knew there would be a lot of interest in him, so we put a concrete offer on the table and we are now virtually there on the deal.
"Lee knows all about Derby and the size of the club, which is important to him. He thinks it will be the right environment for him and we think he is the right type of player for us.
"We feel that Lee is one of the best free signings you could make this summer. He is 24 next week, so he is still young, he works hard, he has got good pace and he wants to get back in the Premier League.
"Lee was very successful at Norwich last season, in a struggling team, and we expect him to be a good addition for us."
