Derby County sign Bilbija from Paderborn

Derby County have signed Filip Bilbija on a three-year deal after he left SC Paderborn, with the transfer a free move since his Paderborn contract expired. The 26-year-old attacker, who can operate as an attacking midfielder or forward, contributed 17 goals in all competitions last season and played a key role in Paderborn’s promotion campaign. He has Bundesliga 2 experience and has previously represented Hamburg, Ingolstadt and Paderborn, making his move to Derby a step into a new environment while bringing proven goal threat. Bilbija was central to Paderborn’s promotion push, notably scoring the equaliser in the second leg of the play-off against Wolfsburg. He is Derby’s third summer signing, joining pre-season with the squad in Austria, as the club looks to add attacking threat, competition and credibility to the team.