Derby County are no closer to securing a new contract for forward Martyn Waghorn this summer with little progress having been made in their talks over a new deal, according to The Athletic.

It was revealed by Derby within their retained list that the Rams are in discussions with Waghorn over potentially extending his stay with the club. That comes with the forward’s existing deal set to expire and with Wayne Rooney hoping to keep hold of the 31-year-old.

Waghorn’s potential availability this summer has already generated plenty of interest from elsewhere. It has been reported by Football Insider that Championship rivals Cardiff city are interested in making a move for the forward and rivalling the Rams in trying to win the race for his signature.

While Football League World has previously revealed that Ipswich Town are potentially interested in making a move to re-sign Waghorn after he spent just a single campaign at Portman Road scoring 16 goals in the 2017/18 season prior to his switch to Derby.

The latest update from The Athletic reveals that the Rams have made little to no progress over the contract talks with Waghorn. That suggests that his future is looking ever more uncertain at this stage and the Rams are going to need to work hard to tie him down to a new contract.

The verdict

This update will be a potential boost to the likes of Cardiff and Ipswich and it suggests that the Rams are going to struggle to secure an agreement with Waghorn over a new contract. Losing the 31-year-old on a free transfer would have be considered a huge blow for the Rams considering they are not in the best place to bring in replacements this summer.

Waghorn might have endured a difficult season at times last term, but he still scored five league goals and registered four assists. That included the vital impact he made in the final day showdown against Sheffield Wednesday. Rooney will not be wanting to lose a player of his quality on a free transfer this summer.

You would think that Ipswich and Cardiff would both potentially be inclined to test the waters now in terms of Waghorn’s situation because it seems less likely that Derby will secure his services for next term now following this update. He would be a quality signing for either of the two sides to make this summer so both should be on red alert now.