The process is ramping up for the forward's potential move, with an official bid reportedly having been made
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Derby bid $8 million for AgyemangForward currently at Gold Cup with USMNTDerby finished 19th last season in ChampionshipGet the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowScott Kinser-Imagn ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?
Patrick Agyemang has been linked with several clubs over the past month, but it appears as if Derby are the frontrunner after the team reportedly bid $8 million (£5.8m) for the Charlotte FC and U.S. international striker.
The Championship side, which fought off relegation last season with a 19th-place finish, have been linked with the 24-year-old for more than two months. Agyemang has reportedly green-lit the move. However, Charlotte have not yet accepted the bid, according to the same report.
Agyemang is seen as a late bloomer whose stock is rising at the right time, with the World Cup less than a year away. He has scored 17 goals in 59 MLS appearances, and also scored for the USMNT in the Gold Cup.
The Athletic was the first to report the bid from Derby, along with Agyemang agreeing to the move.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE
A physical player at 6-4, Agyemang has the potential to thrive in the Championship, a league in which athletic strikers tend to succeed. Yet, a move wouldn't come without risks. Not all striker transfers to bigger clubs have paid dividends – Jozy Altidore's move to Sunderland or Ricardo Pepi's transfer to Augsburg are examples, with the latter's struggles in Germany costing him a spot in the 2022 World Cup.
Yet, it is a move that could help Agyemang stand out in a crowded USMNT striker race. Agyemang has two goals in four Gold Cup matches for the U.S. this summer.
DID YOU KNOW?
Agyemang famously rose from playing Division III collegiate soccer with Eastern Connecticut State prior to eventually landing in MLS.
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR AGYEMANG?
Agyemang and Mauricio Pochettino's USMNT play Guatemala on Wednesday night in the Gold Cup semifinals.