Exclusive: Derby County in pole position to sign Middlesbrough player | OneFootball

The centre-back played for the Rams on loan in the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons.

Derby County are leading the way to sign Middlesbrough's Matt Clarke on loan, Football League World can exclusively reveal.

The defender played for the Rams during both the 2019/20 and 2020/21 campaigns while on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion, but with George Edmundson set to return to the Riverside Stadium on a permanent basis, he looks likely to depart.

Paul Warne is in desperate need of a new centre-back after Curtis Nelson sustained a season-ending knee injury against Watford FC last Saturday, and the experienced Clarke could prove to be an excellent addition at Pride Park.

Derby need reinforcements quickly with the threat of relegation looming over their head, as they travel to 20th place Cardiff City at the weekend.

Derby lead the way to sign Clarke

The Rams are not the only club chasing the signature of the 28-year-old, but they do lead the way.

The promise of game time puts Derby in an incredibly strong positon, with other sides in the Championship battling Warne for the defender, who has made 14 appearances in the second tier this season.

Warne has had somewhat of an injury crisis at centre-back in the last few weeks, with Nelson and Nat Phillips currently out of action, while Eiran Cashin is returning to full fitness after a hamstring injury.

The 51-year-old wants a player with experience at this level, and Clarke has plenty with over 150 appearances in the division, and his height will allow Derby to sustain their threat from set-pieces that they have been well known for over the last two seasons.

Clarke was excellent for Derby in the past

Supporters are no stranger to the former Portsmouth defender, with Clarke having spent two years at Pride Park between 2019 and 2021 on loan from Brighton.

He excelled under both Phillip Cocu and Wayne Rooney, winning the club's player of the season award during his first term.

He has only improved with age, and he has been a figurehead at the back for Michael Carrick in the past, but with appearances coming less frequently, an exit now looks likely.

Derby need a deal to come through quickly with Sheffield United and Oxford United both visiting Pride Park in the next couple of weeks, and Clarke's know-how in the Championship will only help them in their ambitions to retain their second tier status.

It's a position he has already been in with the Rams, and he could prove to be the crucial cog in Warne's plans in the final months of the campaign.