It looks as though Derby County are going to face one problem in their pursuit of Reading midfielder Charlie Savage.
The news broke last week that Derby were interested in signing Charlie Savage to boost their promotion bid.
Although their initial enquiry for the midfielder was knocked back, it was understood that they ‘remained keen’ on pursuing a deal for the Welsh international.
The Royals are currently going through some financial turmoil, but their reluctance to sell the 20-year-old and hold out for a sizeable fee speaks volumes of his talent.
While the Manchester United academy graduate is on the radar of several League One clubs, there is one problem that could halt their pursuit for him in this window.
Reading demand a sizeable fee for Charlie Savage
Reading are in a precarious position at the bottom end of the third tier so there has been an acknowledgement that the Royals can ill-afford to weaken their squad.
With Manchester United also due a cut of any profit their make on the Welsh international, selling Savage will unlikely make any difference to them financially, and this could potentially price Paul Warne’s side out of a move for him.
Derby’s business plan is still being monitored by the EFL themselves, which makes signing players for fees harder to achieve.
Ex-England international Carlton Palmer has had his say on why Reading shouldn’t sell one of their stars in January.
Speaking to Football League World, he said: “Man United will receive a significant sell-on for his next move, so unless the Royals receive a huge fee it isn’t worth losing him at this point in time. You can’t see Derby or Stockport coming up with the sort of money that Reading would require to allow him to leave.
“Even though he’s not starting every week, it would make sense that he stays for now.”
There are better players out there than Savage
Derby have already been linked with taking Conor Coventry on loan from West Ham United.
The 23-year-old has vast EFL experience having played out successful loan spells at Peterborough United, MK Dons and Rotherham United.
On a loan till the end of the season makes more sense for the club financially, and he has shown he’s an upgrade on Savage.
Several League One clubs have also shown their interest in Hull City midfielder Greg Docherty, whose contract with the Tigers expires in the summer.
As someone who has been promoted out of this division with Hull and played a lot of football at Championship level, he’s a better player to go for than the Reading midfielder.
Warne isn’t short of options to choose from in the window, so he shouldn’t need to worry about being potentially priced out of a move for Savage.