According to reports, Derby County is nearing an agreement that would allow Oscar Fraulo, a former transfer target, to join the team from Borussia Mönchengladbach of the German Bundesliga.
According to a new story published Wednesday morning by Tipsbladet in Fraulo’s native Denmark, the Rams are finally hoping to sign the 22-year-old central midfielder, who is managed by John Eustace.
After initially making a contentious move from divisional rivals Blackburn Rovers back in February, Eustace has been in the Pride Park dugout for the first full season of the Championship campaign, which has been an exciting first half for the East Midlands team.
Following an incredibly busy summer transfer window, which was also his first in command, Eustace has sought to improve DE24 after originally solidifying the team’s place in the second division on the last day of the previous season after taking Paul Warne’s place.
It is well known that the Rams paid a hefty sum to acquire USMNT forward Patrick Agyemang from Major League Soccer team Charlotte FC. Carlton Morris, who is currently sidelined, has also shown himself to be an outstanding addition, scoring 10 goals in his first 16 games for the team.
Eustace was successful in bringing in 13 new players on either temporary or permanent contracts for a range of roles during his first transfer window.
As seen by an overall league position of 12th going into the so-often decisive Christmas and New Year period, with 32 points from 22 outings, it is reasonable to argue that some of those transactions have so far worked out much better than others.
Even though rumors of a takeover are still making news, Eustace is hoping to get enough support to slightly restructure his team, especially in the middle of the park, where Fraulo’s signing would be most helpful.
Derby County is getting closer to signing Oscar Fraulo, a midfielder for Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Since the summer of 2022, when FC Midtjylland of the Danish Superliga and Borussia Mönchengladbach agreed to a four-year contract for an unknown cost, Fraulo has been employed by his current employers.
The 22-year-old has since made far more appearances for FC Utrecht, an Eredivisie team, than Mönchengladbach, after making just four appearances for the team he grew up with. He had two loan stints at Stadion Galgenwaard in 2023–2024 and 2024–2025, playing 64 games, scoring six goals, and dishing out seven assists.
In fact, despite being extremely well regarded, Fraulo has spent the last three and a half years playing primarily for Mönchengladbach’s B team rather than the first team.
Under the previously mentioned Warne, the 23-time Danish youth international then surfaced as a possible transfer target for Derby in January. This proved to be his last window in the East Midlands until he was fired a few weeks later.
Soccer News Netherlands initially reported that Derby was considering a loan with an option-to-buy clause that would end Fraulo’s second stint with Utrecht early. Later, it was rumored that Mönchengladbach was considering recalling the midfield player.
But no such situation would arise, and at the end of the season, Fraulo would return to his original club. Since then, he has made five appearances for Die Fohlen in all competitions this season.
His first goal for the team came in a 4-0 thumping to St Pauli on November 11th, and four of those have come in the Bundesliga.
However, according to Tipsbladet, Derby is nearing an agreement that would ultimately see Fraulo move to DE24 after Eugen Polanski used him as an unutilized replacement in the previous five league games.
It has been reported that he will join Pride Park on a three-and-a-half-year contract that will last until the summer of 2029, even though no transfer fee has been disclosed in the story.
The midfield player’s current estimated weekly salary is €16,346 (or £14,266 per week).
Oscar Fraulo would be a great midfield addition for Derby County.
Even though Derby’s head coach has changed since the first rumors of a move to England appeared 11 months ago, it is evident that Fraulo has been on the team’s radar for a while.
Given that the status of current loanees Bobby Clark and David Ozoh is still up in the air, he is the perfect addition to Eustace’s midfield ranks at this time because he plays box-to-box.
While Ozoh is still sidelined for a considerable amount of time during his second loan stint with the Rams away from Crystal Palace, the former has drawn interest from Celtic, who are reportedly pursuing a £6 million deal with his parent club, Red Bull Salzburg.
But as Fraulo’s contract at BORUSSIA-PARK expires in six months, Derby will be hoping to find a future bargain and a lower price.
xz
