Former Liverpool prospect Bobby Duncan in transfer talks to quit English football for a second time
Former Liverpool striker Bobby Duncan is reportedly in transfer talks to leave Derby County for Danish side Vejle Boldklub
Former Liverpool striker Bobby Duncan is set to be on the move again with the Derby County player reportedly in talks with Vejle Boldklub of Denmark.
The Derby Telegraph claims that Wayne Rooney’s Rams have given Duncan permission to speak to the side who finished 10 th in the 12 club Danish Superliga last season.
If the deal goes through, the Jutland-based outfit will become 20-year-old Duncan’s fifth club in a career that has seen him make just a single first team appearance to date, Derby’s 2-0 FA Cup third round defeat at non-league Chorley in January when the East Midlands side were forced to name a second string outfit due to a coronavirus outbreak among their senior squad.
As the cousin of Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, Duncan’s fortunes came under close attention from a young age but he started to develop a reputation for himself as a prolific scorer in youth team football.
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Despite netting 25 goals for Liverpool’s junior side in 2018/19, including one against former club City in their FA Youth Cup final success, Duncan exited Anfield after a solitary campaign in acrimonious circumstances in September 2019.
The Reds initially rejected offers from another Danish side FC Midtjylland and Fiorentina but the player’s then agent Saif Rubie launched a public attack on Twitter, making a series of claims about Liverpool and becoming involved in an unsavoury spat with Jamie Carragher.
The outburst appeared to be the catalyst for the Reds to agree to sell Duncan to the Serie A side, with Jurgen Klopp subsequently revealing the youngster disagreed with the plan to ease him into first-team contention.
He moved for £1.8million with a 20% sell-on clause, scoring four times in nine appearances for the Tuscans’ under-19s team.
However, after failing to find the net since October, Duncan dropped out of the youth side in December, with Fiorentina sporting director Daniele Prade revealing the attacker was expecting to be involved in the first-team.
In January 2020, Duncan split with Rubie as an agent, who had been serving a five-week ban imposed by the FA after being found guilty of historic improper use of social media.
The Whiston-born player returned to English football on September 25 2020 and hours after joining the Rams, revealed he regretted how his departure from Liverpool had come about.
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Duncan said: “I took the move to Italy with only one thing as a priority, to try and develop as a footballer.
“The way in which the last transfer was facilitated was incorrect and unnecessary and has all proved to be a very big learning experience for me as a player and as a person.
“My intent has always been to develop. Now I have returned to England with an accumulation of experiences under my belt and am without doubt a better player and stronger person for it.
“It is time for my football to do the talking. I am very excited by the opportunity presented to me at Derby County and will give absolutely everything to the club moving forward.”
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