Celtic close to £6m transfer - it's going to affect Derby County | OneFootball

Rams loanee Bobby Clark looks to be heading to Scotland at the start of 2026, which will cut his time at Pride Park short

Derby County are set to lose one of their loanees at the start of 2026, with Bobby Clark close to sealing a permanent transfer to Scottlsh champions Celtic.

The Rams made a ton of new signings after avoiding relegation from the Championship last season, with manager John Eustace backed with no fewer than 13 incoming transfers to push the club up the table.

One of those arrivals was a return to England for Bobby Clark, who had departed the country for one of Austria's biggest clubs - Red Bull Salzburg - in August 2024 in what was a £10 million deal, but he had an indifferent first season with the 17-time champions of the Bundesliga.

Therefore, a season-long temporary deal to take Clark to Pride Park was secured for County was agreed just over two months ago - but it appears that the agreement will be terminated at the start of January.

Bobby Clark development emerges as Celtic set to seal transfer for Derby County loanee

According to a report from The Times, Clark is on the verge of securing a permanent exit from Red Bull Salzburg when the transfer window re-opens at the start of 2026 - and it will have implications on his current stint with Derby.

It is claimed that the 20-year-old is nearing a switch to Celtic for a fee of £6 million, which would see Salzburg make a £4 million loss in terms of transfer fee, but it would be a fresh start for the England youth international should a deal be completed.

However, should the rumoured move go through, then it will bring his time with Derby and Eustace to a premature end in January, despite the fact he's on a season-long deal.

Clark has played eight times in the Championship for Derby so far, starting five of those matches in a side that has struggled to get over the line and win matches, with just one victory for the Rams from their opening nine games.

Utilised in both an attacking midfield role as well as wide on the right flank, Clark has showed his versatility for his current manager Eustace, but it appears that he may be heading north of the border in just two-and-a-half months time to link up with Brendan Rodgers.

Bobby Clark may be no great loss to Derby County and John Eustace amid £6m Celtic links

There's clearly a talented player when it comes to Clark, but he was probably expected to impress more upon his move to Salzburg last summer.

It didn't really happen for the youngster though, who had a couple of spells on the sidelines in-between his appearances in domestic competitions as well as the UEFA Champions League, and a return to England to get some regular minutes looked to be a beneficial agreement for everyone.

Clark's showed flashes of quality so far in his brief time at Derby, but is yet to rack up a goal contribution in the Championship (albeit he has scored in the EFL Cup against Premier League outfit Burnley) - Brendan Rodgers has seen something though that is worth investing in, to the tune of the reported £6 million.

Derby will have players - if they are all fit - to come in and replace Clark in the number 10 or winger role, such as Andreas Weimann, Rhian Brewster and Corey Blackett-Taylor, so they should be stocked enough for his expected departure, but given he's not been a star player yet for the club, they should be able to replace him adequately.