Derby County are interested in signing Everton striker Tom Cannon, according to reliable journalist Alan Nixon.

The Lowdown: Planning an Everton raid

The 19-year-old put pen to paper on his first professional deal with the Toffees last year, but having now entered the final 12 months of his contract, they are keen to tie him down at Goodison Park before sending him out on loan to further his development.

The Rams have recently been linked with a move for Lewis Dobbin, another young Everton forward, but that clearly hasn’t stopped the League One outfit from looking at bringing his teammate to Pride Park too.

The Latest: Nixon confirms interest

Nixon was asked during a fan Q&A on Twitter whether Derby were chasing Dobbin, but instead, it was Cannon that the journalist name-dropped. He said:

“Odd one … as they also like Cannon … but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong.”

The Verdict: A risk worth taking

Liam Rosenior will be hoping that his team can bounce back up to the Championship at the first time of asking, but he’s in dire need of attacking reinforcements in the final third, and Cannon has all the qualities required to shine.

The forward, who former Everton U18s and now newly-appointed U21s boss Paul Tait claimed has a certain type of ‘instinct’, has made a remarkable 50 goal contributions in 81 appearances in all competitions for the Toffees’ youth teams, via Transfermarkt.

Whilst Cannon doesn’t have any senior experience, he’s proven himself enough at an academy level to be given a shot at making it in the EFL, and it sounds like the Rams might be the team to give him just the opportunity he deserves.