Image Credits: Imago Images
Derby County have confirmed their retained list, with four players set to leave the club when their contracts expire, while discussions are ongoing with another member of the squad.
Callum Elder leads the list of departures after a three-year spell at Pride Park, with the Australian one of four players released. Jake Rooney, Ben Osborn and Andi Weimann will also leave the club this summer.
Meanwhile, defender Danny Batth is in talks over a new 12-month extension that could keep him at Derby. Former Liverpool midfielder Bobby Clark will return to parent club FC Red Bull Salzburg, Derby County have confirmed.
The 21-year-old, who joined Derby on a season-long loan deal in August 2025, impressed during his time at Pride Park, winning the club’s Young Player of the Season award, and was in contention for the EFL Young Player of the Year.
He made 45 appearances, scored four goals and provided four assists for Derby County across all competitions this season.
Clark has already opened the door to a permanent move to Derby County this summer, claiming he has enjoyed his time at Pride Park.
Derby head coach John Eustace has also made clear he wants to keep the former Liverpool midfielder, although any deal would depend on reaching an agreement with RBSalzburg.
“Obviously, I’ve had the conversations with them (Derby),” Clark said. “I’ve loved every minute of it here, working under the gaffer and playing under these fans with these players.
“I’ve loved it, and I’d love to play for Derby again, but there are a lot of things happening in the process to do that. All I can say from my end is I’ve loved it here and I’d love to play here again. We’ll just have to see what happens.”
Bobby Clark began his football journey at Birmingham City’s academy, where his father Lee was manager, before later moving on to Newcastle United.
He spent much of his youth development at St James’ Park before joining Liverpool in August 2021, a move driven by strong interest in his potential.
Clark signed his first professional contract in 2022 and became a regular for Liverpool’s Under-18s in 2021/22, scoring 13 goals in 23 league appearances.
He stepped into senior football the following season, making his Premier League debut against Bournemouth in August 2022 and later his full debut against Derby County in the Carabao Cup in November.
He featured regularly in Premier League 2 before breaking into the senior setup more consistently in 2023/24, making 12 appearances in all competitions. A standout moment came in the 2024 Carabao Cup final, when he came off the bench at Wembley to help Liverpool beat Chelsea after extra time.
Shortly after, he scored his first senior goal against Sparta Prague in the Europa League. He later followed former Liverpool assistant Pepijn Lijnders to FC Red Bull Salzburg in 2024, where he made 25 appearances in all competitions, including six in the Champions League.
At international level, Clark has represented England across several youth age groups, including Under-19s and Under-20s.