Rams will cash in if Max ends spell with the Blades
DERBY County do have a sell-on clause for Sheffield United defender Max Lowe, who could be leaving the Blades this summer.
Nottingham Forest are tipped to make a permanent move for Lowe after he spent the majority of the just finished season on loan at the City Ground.
Lowe helped the Reds win promotion to the Premier League and his future is now under scrutiny amid claims he is wanted by several clubs this summer. And Derby would stand to benefit if he is sold, having inserted sell-on clauses into the deals which took Lowe and Jayden Bogle to United from the Rams in 2020.
Derby would only receive an amount of the profit that United would make on Lowe should they decide to sell, which is how sell-on clauses work.
And United are in a strong position regarding the left-back, who has two years remaining on his current deal and with the Blades having the option of extending that by another 12 months.
Forest are expected to back Steve Cooper heavily in the transfer market this summer with promotion to the Premier League said to be worth around £170m to the Reds. And the left-back spot has become an issue for Forest given an injury to Lowe saw them deploy Jack Colback in that position during his absence.
Lowe did make an appearance for Forest in their Championship play-off final win over Huddersfield Town, coming on as a second-half substitute. He finished the season with one goal and four assists to his name in 23 appearances in a campaign that was disrupted by a niggling groin problem.
Bogle, however, is expected to remain at Bramall Lane, where United are hoping to put together a squad capable of challenging for promotion next season. They were defeated by Forest in the play-off semi-final on penalties with boss Paul Heckingbottom keen to go one step further next term.
Meanwhile, Derby are still awaiting news on the completion of their takeover from American businessman Chris Kirchner. His purchase of the club is in its final stages but Bank Holidays in America and in England, allied with the complexity of the deal and the number of lawyers involved, could result in another delay.
But there is a concerted effort to get the deal done as quickly as possible and completion yesterday was not ruled out, as the Burton Mail went to press.