Derby County's immediate future in the Championship is currently unclear as questions still remain over whether the club will receive a points deduction as a result of their breach of Financial Fair Play rules.

If the Rams are demoted to League One, it could turn out to be a difficult summer for the club as they will not be able to attract the same calibre of players due to their new status.

Having already parted ways with a number of individuals following the culmination of the previous campaign, Derby manager Wayne Rooney is currently facing an uphill task to keep some of the club's out-of-contract players at Pride Park.

Martyn Waghorn and Andre Wisdom have yet to make decisions on their futures whilst Curtis Davies' deal is also set to expire next week.

Davies made a dramatic return to the Rams' set-up on the final day of the previous campaign after being forced to watch on from the sidelines for several months due to injury.

Brought in the second-half of their crunch clash with Sheffield Wednesday, the 36-year-old helped the Rams clinch a vital point with allowed them to retain their second-tier status.

Making reference to his future, Davies has revealed that although he is willing to stay at the club this summer, he is also keeping his options open in regards to a potential exit.

[gmsStartingEleven url="https://givemesport.starting11.co.uk/2019-09-11/"]

Speaking to Sky Sports News (as cited by the Derby Telegraph), the Rams defender said: "My contract is up on July 1st and I am still waiting to sort that out.

"I'd like to stay at the football club but obviously everything needs to be negotiated.

"It is a situation where if a contract if offered and you are trying to work out what is right for you and what is right for the club, it is always a negotiation process.

"I think you always need to be open to looking elsewhere if that is what needs to happen, but I have always stated I would love to stay at Derby County.

"Whether that is in the Championship or League One it would be just down to what we can agree on.

"Like I say, I would like to stay at the football club, but you always need to stay open."

GIVEMESPORT's Joshua Cole says...

When you consider that Derby are currently short of options at centre-back following the departures of Teden Mengi, George Edmundson and Matt Clarke, losing Davies this summer would unquestionably be a blow.

Therefore, the Rams ought to be pleased by the defender's honest comments regarding his future as it is clear that he wants to stay at the club regardless of what division they find themselves in.

Although it is fair to say that Davies is now unable to produce the same levels of performance that he did during the early stages of his career, he would still be a valuable asset for the Rams due to his wealth of experience.

Having made 275 appearances at Championship level during his career, the defender knows exactly what it takes to compete in this division and thus could potentially play a role in the club's plans for the upcoming campaign.

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