Wayne Rooney will be hoping that he is given the opportunity to rebuild his Derby County squad this summer, after narrowly avoiding the drop to League One this season.

Rooney has had to contend with a lot since replacing Phillip Cocu at the helm, with a lack of clarity being given off the pitch regarding the club's ownership.

The proposed takeover of Bin Zayed International eventually failed to materialise, but left Rooney scrambling around and adding five loan signings to his squad on Deadline Day in January.

With safety now secured, albeit after the most dramatic of final days in the Championship, their future off the pitch remains uncertain.

Erik Alonso's proposed takeover of the club is now off, and there will now be other parties looking to pursue a deal for the club.

For Rooney, he will want this takeover to be sorted as quickly as possible, so he can begin bringing in players and assembling a much better squad for next season.

If he isn't given the financial muscle to go out and get those players, he may look to explore the free agent market. Here, we take a look at nine who should be on Rooney's radar...

Diedhiou is looking for a new club after being let go by Bristol City at the end of this season, upon the expiry of his contract.

The 28-year-old departs Ashton Gate having scored an impressive 51 goals in 169 games for the Robins, after joining from Angers in 2017.

At 6-foot-4, Diedhiou would add plenty of physical presence to Derby's front-line, but plenty of goal threat, also.

The striker has hit double figures in his four seasons in English football, and clearly knows how to find the net in the Championship.

Derby were the lowest scorers in the Championship this season, and Rooney needs to bolster his attacking options going forward.

Another player who has left Bristol City is Liam Walsh.

Walsh's departure left a lot of people surprised, given that he is only 23 and never failed seemed to be given a chance.

In 2019/20, Walsh helped Coventry win promotion from League One, scoring three goals and adding five assists whilst on loan with the Sky Blues.

But this season, he made only three appearances for the Robins in the Championship, and found game time hard to come by.

He's got plenty of potential and would add plenty of energy in midfield, and could be worth a punt for Derby.

Derby need creativity from midfield having failed to score a lot of goals from that area this season.

Lewis Holtby, then, could be worth a punt following his release by Blackburn at the end of the contract.

Holtby is a player who has excellent pedigree, having played for the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Schalke in the Champions League.

He made 56 appearances for Blackburn in all competitions, scoring only four goals and adding five assists.

That record doesn't appear too impressive, but he is a talented midfielder who has been there and done it, and could be key for Derby under Rooney.

Derby have been strongly linked with Pritchard over the course of the season, with the midfielder now available to sign for nothing.

It has been a frustrating year for Pritchard, who failed to score or create an assist for Huddersfield in 18 Championship appearances.

In fact, the 28-year-old managed to score only three goals in 83 appearances for Town, so wherever he moves to next, he'd need an arm around his shoulder.

But Pritchard has been a standout performer at this level before, contributing to 15 goals for Norwich in 2016/17, and 19 goals for Brentford in 2014/15.

There is a talent in there somewhere.

Some may this one as a potential risk, given Wilshere's injury record and likely high wages.

But if you can get him playing to full fitness and negotiate a deal for him, then you arguably have one of the best midfielders in the Championship.

Wilshere used to be a class act for Arsenal before injuries affected him, and this season, he has made 14 appearances for the Cherries in the Championship.

He knows Rooney having played with him for England, and if he can get him for pre-season and get a full summer training under his belt, it could be an excellent move.

It is clear that Derby need to add more goal threat to their squad this summer, and the signing of Wyke on a free could be a masterstroke.

Sunderland are in talks with Wyke over a new deal, with his contract due to expire at the end of next month.

But Wyke is still yet to pen a new deal, and with Sunderland missing out on promotion once again, a Championship move looks likely.

Wyke scored 31 goals for Sunderland in all competitions this season, proving to be one of the most dangerous forwards in League One.

He is excellent in the air and could provide excellent competition for Colin Kazim-Richards.

Another Sunderland man likely to leave upon the expiry of his contract is O'Nien.

O'Nien has been a standout performer for Sunderland in his three-year spell on Wearside, operating in central midfield but also filling in as a centre-half or right-back.

He is a honest, hard-working player who wears his heart on his sleeve and adds plenty of energy in whichever position he plays in.

Luton, Millwall, Middlesbrough and Preston are all interested in signing O'Nien, as per Football Insider, and Derby should be among the suitors.

This one may divide Derby fans given Assombalonga's allegiance with Forest, but it could be a good signing.

His departure hasn't been officially announced just yet, but Neil Warnock has confirmed that Assombalonga and Ashley Fletcher will be leaving the Riverside at their end of their contracts.

Assombalonga has only scored five goals this season, but he scored double figures in his last five seasons before this one.

He is a proven forward at this level, and if you play to his strengths, he would bag a hatful. It could definitely be worth a punt.

This would be a really interesting signing.

Reach has left Sheffield Wednesday at the end of his contract and is already said to be attracting interest from the Premier League.

But if those rumours fail to materialise and he is to stay in the Championship, then Derby should definitely consider making a move.

Reach has been converted into a wing-back in recent years, and his ability to cross the ball and create chances is a huge strength.

He scored five goals and added three assists for a struggling Wednesday team this season, and could be a key player for the Rams going forward.