Wigan Athletic midfielder Graeme Shinnie will not be rejoining Derby County this summer, according to journalist Alan Nixon. 

The Rams will play League One football in 2022/23 after their relegation from the Championship but need to wait for Chris Kirchner's takeover to be completed before their preparations for the third tier can begin.

Wayne Rooney led a threadbare squad close to survival last term and bolstering it will be a top priority once the takeover deal is done.

Derby have been linked with a host of players already, including both Aden Flint and Tom Barkhuizen, but Shinnie, who left the club for a nominal fee back in January as they looked to cut their wage bill, will not be returning to Pride Park.

That's according to Nixon, who has reported that the Scotsman moving back to Derby this summer is not a possibility.

Shinnie made 93 appearances across two and a half years at the East Midlands club and was named the Rams Player of the Season in 2020/21.

Opportunities have been hard to come by since his move to the Latics, however, and he played a little more than 500 minutes of League One football after making the switch in January.

The Verdict

Shinnie was fantastic for Derby and with opportunities hard to come by at Wigan, you can see why some supporters were eyeing a potential move.

But it seems that's not going to happen this summer, which is perhaps no surprise given the midfielder remains under contract until 2024.

The Rams need to sign a lot of players over the next few months as they look to rebuild the club so splashing the cash to prize 30-year-old midfielders away from newly-promoted Championship teams is likely a move best avoided.

That's a shame, though, given just how impressive he was in the 18 months before his Pride Park exit.