Hull City have joined Bristol City in the transfer chase for Derby County's Curtis Davies, according to reports.
The veteran centre-back, 37, is likely to leave Pride Park at the end of June following the expiration of his contract after the Rams were relegated to League One.
Boss Nigel Pearson has made it no secret of his desire to improve his defence this summer, both centrally and at right wing-back, after his side finished the season with the third-worst defensive record in the Championship conceding 77.
Reported by Alan Nixon, Davies is one of the names on Pearson's transfer shortlist but he will face competition from Hull who are keen to bring their former player back for a final swansong. Bristol Live understands he is one of several defenders being considered.
Davies spent four years with Hull before moving to Derby in 2017 with three of those coming in the Premier League. He was named their Player of the Year in the 2013/14 season after helping guide the Tigers to the FA Cup final.
Derby are eager to keep Davies into next season to help mount their promotion bid but remain unable to offer the player a new contract due to their transfer embargo over the ongoing takeover bid.
Davies dropped a hint on the final day of the season that he would be open to staying at Derby, when he said: "We wish we could have given them (the supporters) a little bit more, but we will hope to repay that next year with getting them promotion back to this league.”
Davies and Pearson were pictured in a friendly embrace following City's 3-1 victory over Derby last month and the City manager is eager to add experience to his side and find a balance with the number of young and inexperienced players making their debut seasons in the Championship.
The necessity to add numbers in defence is also fuelled by the ongoing uncertainty over Timm Klose and Robbie Cundy who have both yet to sign new contracts. Deals are on the table for the duo but a decision has yet to be made.
Even if they do decide to stay, it won't stop Pearson from strengthening at the back. Last Thursday, in his pre-match press conference, the manager said: "Well we do need to strengthen in that area, because as it stands at the moment.
"Both Robbie and Timm, they are yet to sign for us. We need to strengthen in that area anyway. Our targets, we are very clear on those and we will try and make sure that we can deliver an improvement to the overall squad.
"I think it's pretty clear where we need to strengthen. That doesn't always mean replacing, it means to strengthen."
Davies would arrive with a wealth of experience with over 600 career appearances. He also played every minute of Derby's Championship campaign proving that despite his age, he can still deal with the rigours of Championship football.
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