After narrowly avoiding relegation to the third-tier of English football earlier this year, Derby County have now started their preparations for the 2021/22 campaign by parting ways with five senior players.
Scott Carson, Emmanuel Idem, Scott Malone, Jonathan Mitchell and Florian Jozefzoon are all set to move on to pastures new when their current deals expire later this month.
One of the individuals who has yet to make a decision on his future is Martyn Waghorn who is set to become a free-agent this summer if Derby fail to persuade him to stay at Pride Park.
The forward emerged as an unlikely hero during the Rams' clash with Sheffield Wednesday in May as he helped the club secure a point by netting a brace in this fixture.
No stranger to life in the Championship, the forward has made 322 appearances in this division during his career and thus will fancy his chances of competing at this level next season.
However, it remains to be seen whether Waghorn will line-up for Derby or one of their second-tier rivals next season.
A recent report from the Derby Telegraph revealed that the club had entered talks with the former Ipswich Town man over a new deal.
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Yet with time running out to secure the services of Waghorn for another year, a fresh update has now emerged regarding this particular saga.
According to The Athletic, Derby have reportedly made little to no progress in their attempts to convince the forward to commit to the club.
With Cardiff City being touted as a possible destination for Waghorn, it will be intriguing to see whether he decides to make the move to Wales.
GIVEMESPORT's Joshua Cole says...
Whilst it is fair to say that Waghorn didn't exactly set the Championship alight with his displays last season, he did illustrate some signs of promise for Derby and thus it would be somewhat of a blow for the club if he does decide to call time on his stint at Pride Park.
As well as netting five goals for the Rams, the forward also provided his team-mates with five assists in 32 appearances as he averaged a WhoScored match rating of 6.42 in the second-tier.
Whereas Derby manager Wayne Rooney is clearly a fan of Waghorn, he will need to draft up a list of alternatives to the forward as a failure to do so could result in another season of struggle for his side.
Although the Rams cannot currently purchase players due to the fact that they are currently under a transfer embargo, they could draft in a suitable replacement for Waghorn by looking towards the free-agent market for inspiration.
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