How much money Derby County or Wrexham may have to pay Craig Dawson in wages | OneFootball

Craig Dawson would perhaps need to take a pay cut in order to join either of these Championship sides - yet it's expected to still be a big amount

Both Derby County and Wrexham AFC are reportedly interested in securing the services of Wolves defender Craig Dawson when his contract expires this summer.

As per The Sun, both the Rams and the North Wales side have the 35-year-old in their transfer plans regarding summer targets - with Dawson having signed for the Premier League side for £3.3m from West Ham in 2023.

Throughout his career, Dawson has established himself as a reliable Premier League defender - but since being axed from the 25-man squad, it was reported he was in talks to terminate his contract in February.

With no plans to stop playing, Dawson would perhaps need to take a pay cut in order to join either of these Championship sides - yet it's expected to still be a big amount.

Craig Dawson's current Premier League wages

According to Capology, the centre back earns an estimated £45,000 per week at Wolves - translating to an estimated £2.3m annually. This has been the case since he signed his current contract in January 2023.

This estimated amount does reflect that of a player who's played a large part of his career in the top-flight of English football.

Dawson has made 447 appearances across multiple leagues during his 16-season career so far - showing how consistent he has been to command such high wages - the amount places him among the high earners at Wolves.

Given that Dawson will be available on a free - both Derby and Wrexham obviously won't need to pay a fee - but they'd have to meet whatever he expects wage wise.

The estimated amount of £45,000 is a benchmark for what both respective clubs would maybe need to get towards, if they landed his signature - but it's got to be expected he would accept a reduction to play regular first-team football again.

Craig Dawson's current estimated wage would make him Derby's highest-paid player

The Rams' highest-paid player for this past season was Liverpool loanee Nathaniel Phillips, who is estimated to earn the same as Dawson - although this was likely paid by his parent club and not Derby.

Wrexham have reportedly demonstrated their willingness to offer big money to attract Premier League talent already, with talkSPORT indicating they offered Fulham midfielder Tom Cairney £50,000 per week to relocate to Wales.

The decision for either club to pursue Dawson would ultimately depend on their assessment of his potential impact - and if that warrants a wage close to his estimated.

Dawson's Premier League experience could prove vital for both, but for his age - it's clear to be a financial gamble of some proportion - and you could argue Wrexham are more likely to get close to that sum than Derby.