Derby County midfielder Max Bird is wanted by former Rams boss Liam Rosenior at Hull City.
According to Hull Live, the Tigers are in talks with Derby over a move for the 22-year-old who Rosenior made vice-captain of the club last season before being relieved of his duties.
In an ambitious move, Hull have reportedly lodged a bid for Bird in the hopes of luring him to the MKM Stadium on a permanent basis.
One of the Rams’ academy graduates, the young Englishman is in the final year of his contract and is said to be keen on a reunion with his former boss.
Club captain Curtis Davies was not a regular under Paul Warne last season, meaning Bird often donned the captain’s armband and established himself as a leader within an experienced squad.
Showing maturity beyond his years, the midfielder showed clear signs of progression in the third division and has continued to excel in pre-season – he had been tipped for a big year with the Rams, but that may now be in jeopardy.
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Bird, recently labelled ‘excellent‘ by first-team coach Matt Hamshaw, made 48 appearances for Derby last season as Warne’s men fell just shy of a play-off spot on the final day of the season.
Since his debut as a 16-year-old in 2017, he has made 161 appearances for the club and never spent time away on loan, so quitting Pride Park would be a big transition. However, his relationship with Rosenior would no doubt aid the time it would take him to settle in.
The bid for Bird
The Tigers’ boss revealed on Saturday that he had submitted bids for two players, the Rams’ ace is now known to be one of them.
“We have made offers. We have made offers on two players that I really, really like and I’m very excited by both of them,” Rosenior told Hull Live.
It goes without saying that losing Bird would be a massive blow for Warne’s squad.
He is valued at £3.5million by transfermarkt, though given his contract situation and the Rams’ history of selling their talent for cut-price fees it is a doubt that Derby would receive such a fee.
Bird could leave for free in the summer should the Rams fail to win promotion, so there may be hope of him sticking around for another season and possibly extending his deal at the club next summer.
Although seemingly this may prove to be a hard offer for the experienced youngster to turn down.