There were high hopes set for George Edmundson when he first arrived at Derby County whilst on loan from Scottish giants Rangers. 

Edmundson made 17 appearances for the Rangers first-team, but Steven Gerrard clearly felt as though the young defender would benefit from regular game time elsewhere on a temporary basis.

Derby snapped him up late into the January transfer window on loan until the end of the 2020/21 season. Edmundson has gone on to make six appearances in all competitions for Derby, and has also scored his first goal for the club against Huddersfield Town back in February.

But his efforts haven't been enough in recent weeks, as Wayne Rooney's side continue to slide down the second-tier standings at an alarming rate.

The Rams are currently sat 19th in the Championship table, and are just five points clear of the relegation zone heading into their final eight matches of this year's campaign.

We take a look at the possibility of Edmundson's loan move becoming a permanent one in the summer transfer window.

What do we know so far? 

It's recently been reported by Football Insider that Edmundson could be heading for the exit door, as Rangers are looking at a deal to sign Elfsborg defender Joseph Okumu.

The same report also claims that Edmundson's future at Rangers is in doubt when he returns to Ibrox from his loan spell at Derby County.

So it's certainly going to be an interesting summer ahead for Edmundson, and he could find himself looking for a new club ahead of the 2021/22 league campaign.

Is a permanent move to Derby likely this summer? 

The ball is firmly in Rangers' court, with Edmundson's contract with the Scottish side at Ibrox not set to expire until the summer of 2023.

But with Rangers potentially signing another defender, that could force Edmundson out of the door on a permanent basis, and it wouldn't come as a surprise to see Derby register their interest in him in the summer transfer window.

If Derby were to be relegated into League One, then can forget about being able to sign him permanently, as Edmundson won't want to be playing his football in the third-tier.

He's been a steady option to have in the Derby team, and will be hoping that he can play his part in the club's survival bid this term, as the Rams battle to stay in the Championship despite a worrying run of form in the second-tier in recent weeks.