Derby County aiming to strike deal with soon-to-be free agent, contract up next month

09/05/2024 09:49

Derby County are in discussions with midfielder Darren Robinson over a new contract, as per a report by Football Insider.

Derby County are keen to keep hold of the youngster as they prepare for life in the Championship next season following their automatic promotion from League One under the guidance of Paul Warne. They went up along with Portsmouth and will be joined by either Bolton Wanderers or Oxford United from the play-offs.

Robinson, 19, sees his current deal at Pride Park expire at the end of next month and he is yet to put pen-to-paper on fresh terms so is due to become available for nothing as things stand. However, the Rams want to retain his services for longer and are working on an agreement.

In this latest update regarding his situation, Football Insider report he is in ‘advanced talks’ over an extension. He is a Northern Ireland youth international.

Derby County in contract talks

Keeping hold of Robinson would be a shrewd move by Derby County as they gear up for life back in the second tier.

He is a useful long-term option for them in the middle of the park and could be a big player for them in the future.

Losing him for nothing, potentially to another English club, would be a blow so they need to ensure that they can tie him down on longer terms.

He rose up through the academy ranks at Portadown and was snapped up by Dungannon Swifts in 2019.

Robinson was handed his first professional contract by the latter and went on to play once for their senior team as a teenager before moving over to England.

Derby County snapped him up and he has since played three times for the Rams’ first-team. He hasn’t quite managed to break fully into the senior set-up under Warne but is still believed to be highly-rated.

What next for Derby County?

The Rams are yet to publish their retained list and have a few players who have entered the final few weeks of their contracts.

They have decisions to make on the likes of Louie Sibley, Liam Thompson, Martyn Waghorn and James Collins among others.

Derby County will also see loan players like Ebou Adams and Tyreece John-Jules head back to their parent clubs.

Warne will need to bolster his ranks to ensure that his squad are prepared for next term in the division above as they look to carry on their momentum from promotion.

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