Derby County backed to follow Bobby Clark deal with Crystal Palace transfer | OneFootball

FLW's Rams Fan Pundit wants David Ozoh back at Pride Park... for the third time!

Derby County look set to kick off their summer transfer window with a real statement of intent.

First reported by The Telegraph's John Percy, the Rams are in advanced talks to re-sign 21-year-old midfielder Bobby Clark permanently, with BBC Radio Derby's Dominic Dietrich understanding the fee is set to be between £5m and £6m.

Encouragingly, the East Midlands outfit are 'hopeful' of Clark undergoing a medical later this week if negotiations continue to progress with his parent club, RB Salzburg.

This would, of course, be a huge piece of business for John Eustace's squad ahead of the 26/27 Championship campaign, and there’s been a shout to follow it up with another familiar face to Rams fans.

Bobby Clark's transfer value expected to 'triple' at Derby County

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Given Clark’s earlier transfer links to West Ham, Rangers and Celtic, FLW's Rams Fan Pundit, Shaun Woodward, expected Derby to be blown out of the water for the ex‑Liverpool prospect.

"I’m absolutely buzzing with this," he said.

"I’ve got to be honest, I did not see it happening. I really thought that he was going to end up at a club potentially with parachute payments or lower end Premier League. I didn’t think we’d have the clout to kind of entice him to come back to Derby."

The midfielder arrived on loan last August after struggling to nail down a regular starting position at Salzburg following his £10m move from Liverpool in 2024.

Yes, the transition to Championship football was not without its early difficulties, but he quickly developed into one of the standout players at Pride Park after getting his chance in the middle of the park.

Clark ended up starting 33 of his 42 league matches, while scoring four goals and getting three assists in all competitions.

Woodward added, "It just shows how much he enjoyed his time with us last season. Quite rightly getting the Young Player of the Year, and that accolade in kind of the shortlist for the EFL Young Player of the Year as well. He was absolutely sensational for us. He’s only going to get better as well, being 21 years old, his ceiling is really high.

"If we are going to get him for a reported £5m-£6m then, if he can stay injury free and carry on improving like he is, he could be worth three times that in a couple of seasons time.

"He really is a talented lad, technically he’s one of the best we’ve got at the club, so really excited to see if we can get this over the line."

Derby County urged to land Crystal Palace transfer after Bobby Clark

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With the Clark deal seemingly edging closer to completion, Woodward made the point of whether Derby can also secure a permanent move for Crystal Palace midfielder David Ozoh.

Ozoh, who initially joined Derby on loan from the Eagles in the summer of 2024 and returned for a second stint straight after, made 33 Championship appearances last season and scored twice.

Arguably, Derby’s strongest midfield pairing in 25/26 came when those two were alongside each other, which is why maybe Woodward is keen for the Rams to push for this deal as well.

"Hopefully we can get Ozoh as well because I think them two could be key moving forward over the next three or four years for Derby. Really excited by this, hopefully it’s the start of a really good summer for us," the Fan Pundit concluded.