How much Celtic may need to pay Bobby Clark in wages as Derby County face exit blow | OneFootball

Derby County could be set to lose Bobby Clark in January

According to reports, Scottish giants Celtic are on the verge of sealing a multi-million pound transfer with RB Salzburg for Bobby Clarke, who is currently on loan in the Championship at Derby County.

After beating the drop under John Eustace last season, the Rams recruited heavily during the summer transfer window.

In came big-name signings such as Patrick Agyemang, Carlton Morris and Lewis Travis, who were supposed to push the Pride Park outfit further up the table and perhaps even into play-off contention.

That hasn’t happened however, with Derby sat 20th in the table after nine matches and just two points clear of the relegation zone. They have won just a single match in this time and have drawn on five occasions.

Another player Eustace brought to Pride Park was Bobby Clark, who had made a £10 million move to Red Bull Salzburg in 2024 but struggled for form with the Austrian giants.

The 20-year-old signed on a season-long loan at Pride Park, but it appears that deal will be cut short in January. According to a report by the Times, Clark is on the verge of exiting Salzburg permanently, with Celtic willing to pay £6 million for his services.

This would see the former Liverpool talent end his stint with Derby prematurely in favour of a switch to the Scottish giants, with Salzburg perhaps keen to recoup some of their investment and collect a fairly-handsome fee for Clark's services.

How much Celtic may need to pay Derby County loanee Bobby Clark in wages

Amid this news, Football League World have taken a look at how much Clark currently earns at Derby County.

According to estimated figures from Capology, the 20-year-old takes home £5,000 per week currently at Pride Park, with the ability to earn an extra £1,500 in bonuses. Of course, Derby could only be paying a percentage of his wages at RB Salzburg.

This makes him one of the lowest earners in the Rams’ squad, with just six players estimated to be on a lower weekly wage.

Although Celtic are forking out a reported £6 million to sign Clark, his wages may not cause them too much of an issue during negotiations.

Derby County won’t appreciate losing Bobby Clark in January

Clark hasn’t set the world alight during his short time at Pride Park, but the young midfielder has shown flashes of what he is capable of and clearly has the potential to achieve great things in the game.

Given Derby’s current situation, they need all the help they can get and certainly can’t afford to be letting capable operators exit in January.

Although this situation is out of their control, Eustace and Co. certainly won’t appreciate losing a player halfway through the campaign when that wasn’t what was outlined in his loan agreement.

However, the Rams have no choice but to accept the reality of what has happened and try to remedy the situation in the January transfer window.