MONEY talks in twenty20 cricket but Derbyshire have found that there are still some things it cannot buy.

The county club's bid to land a big-name signing for this season's Friends Provident t20 campaign has been a frustrating one, even though they have the cash available to compete for the signature of one of the renowned specialists in the shortest form of the game.

Two overseas signings are permitted in the competition and Derbyshire, who have Usman Khawaja as one of their choices, have sounded out and, in some cases, come very close to landing the likes of Chris Gayle, Brett Lee, Dirk Nannes, Morne Morkel and Shaun Tait – without success as yet, though other big irons are still in the fire.

More options may become open as this summer's international touring parties are announced and the players not in the squads search around for a profitable way to spend their time off.

There is no great hurry to complete a signing, with the first group match not until June 14, but Derbyshire remain optimistic they can make an announcement sooner rather than later.

That may depend on convincing one of their top targets that they are capable of achieving more than their record in t20 – only one quarter-final appearance in nine years – would suggest.

"I know we have not had the greatest of times in the last few years and that has counted against us when we have been talking to players," said head coach Karl Krikken.

"We will keep throwing our hat into the ring and see if somebody will pick it up. I'm sure somebody will shortly."

Krikken's frustration is shared by chairman Chris Grant, who has made no secret of his ambition to bring a "landmark" signing to the County Ground and, having had to shelve the plan as he originally conceived it, has made sure the funds are available to bring in a high-class t20 specialist.

"The money is there so that we are able to compete but we are finding that players are choosing to go elsewhere because they feel they have got a better chance of getting to the Champions League, where they can earn the bigger money," said Grant.

"We are looking for what Krikk describes as a match-changing player and we have put good offers in.

"If nothing else, we have made a few agents wake up and realise Derbyshire are not the poor men of cricket any more. We are not throwing money around willy-nilly but we are making sensible offers and if the players were making their decisions purely for financial reasons, we are up there competing with the best of them.

"There were eight counties in for Chris Gayle and, in the end, it came down to us or Somerset. I'm disappointed he didn't choose us but pleased that we are in a position to compete for players of that calibre."

Derbyshire reached their only t20 quarter-final in 2005 but have been more competitive in the last couple of seasons. They blew a chance to qualify for the last eight by losing at home to Northants in 2010 and were in with a chance last year too before their challenge fell away sharply with defeats in their last three matches.

They went into last season's competition with only one overseas signing after Khawaja was recalled by Australia and they opted not to recruit a replacement.