Derby County are yet to make their first move in the transfer window as the club continue to try and sort their off-field issues.

The Rams endured a turbulent 2020/21 campaign, narrowly avoiding relegation to League One by the skin of their teeth despite winning one of their final 15 games.

Wayne Rooney will want to avoid a repeat of last season in 2021/22, and will undoubtedly be hoping for a much more stable season on the pitch as well as off it.

The club's ownership is still up in the air, and with a transfer embargo also currently in place, it makes life difficult to bring in new players to strengthen the squad.

One player who has been linked with a move to Pride Park, though, is Rotherham's Matt Crooks.

Crooks was a bright spark for Rotherham despite the Millers' relegation last season, with the versatile midfielder scoring six goals and registering three assists in the Championship.

But the 27-year-old only has one year left on his deal at the New York Stadium, meaning that Rotherham could well cash in this summer rather than potentially lose him for nothing next summer.

According to the East Anglian Daily Times, League One side Ipswich Town have identified Crooks as a target, but they are reportedly set to face competition from Derby.

As alluded to before, Derby are currently under a transfer embargo, but technically, they can still sign players so long as wages are sensible and no transfer fees are involved.

At the moment, then, a move for Crooks looks unlikely. Rotherham will undoubtedly demand a fee for the 6-foot-4 midfielder, as they ponder the idea of cashing in for as much as they can this summer.

If the embargo situation does sort itself out, though, then Derby could well move in for Crooks, with the prospect of moving back up to the Championship likely to be attractive for the 27-year-old.

But as has been the case for the last year or so, Derby's off-field issues have caught up with them, and could well hamper their chances of landing one of their primary targets this summer.