David Nugent is one of a number of first-team players at Derby whose contracts are due to expire at the end of the season according to a report from the Derby Telegraph. 

It will be interesting  to see whether the Rams will opt to extend his current deal at the club, and there are certainly arguments for and against.

The former Liverpool youth player was signed by Steve McClaren at Derby in 2017, for a fee believed to be around the £2.5m mark from Middlesbrough after a disappointing spell on Teeside where he netted just nine goals in 45 appearances.

Nugent is currently behind Jack Marriott in the pecking order at Derby, and could be attracting interest from a number of sides in the summer with his contract due to expire.

It seems hard to believe that the former Portsmouth man with one England cap to his name, can force his way into the promotion chasing Rams team.

If you're David Nugent in this situation, there are a number of scenarios that you'll be contemplating in regards to your future.

One potential scenario that will be an option to Nugent will be to drop down to League One level to find regular first-team opportunities.

This should certainly be considered by the ageing forward as he could do an excellent job in the third tier of English football, with his fitness levels likely to drop slightly by next season.

On paper, Derby have one of the strongest squad's in the Championship this season and it isn't a surprise to see the club delaying renewing his contract until the end of this year's campaign.

But Nugent will surely be hoping to prove himself at Derby and give Frank Lampard a selection headache going forward for the second-half of the season.

If he can do that, then we could potentially see him being offered a new contract before it is due to expire in the summer, which at the moment seems unlikely.