According to Voetbal International, Derby County and FC Groningen have reached a verbal agreement which will see Mike te Wierik return to his former club.
The Rams signed the Dutch defender from Groningen on a free transfer last summer.
But the 28-year-old has struggled to get going at Pride Park, and manager Phillip Cocu’s dismissal in November has since seen te Wierik fall completely out of favour.
Now, Derby are open to selling the defender with a move likely to happen this month.
VI claim the Rams are struggling financially, and te Wierik’s exit will be a welcome move to get him off the wage bill only six months after bringing him to the club.
Groningen, meanwhile, have fended off three other clubs including Saint Pauli from Germany.
Te Wierik made only three Championship starts for Derby. His last start came in the 1-1 draw at promotion-chasing Bournemouth down on the south coast.
There is no denying the central defender has ability. However, he looked physically weak at Championship level while it’s a far more direct style of football he would have been used to.
Te Wierik recently told reporters he was open to moving back to Holland amid reports.
Breaking his silence in an interview with Fox Sports, he said: “I said there must be a solution and the club knows that. My agent is working on it and a number of clubs have already signed up.”
Derby have been fairly solid defensively of late. Andre Wisdom and Matt Clarke are the regular duo, and they have only conceded three goals in their past seven outings.
But with Clarke on loan, and Curtis Davies out injured long-term, a new central defender will be a top priority at the end of the season should te Wierik depart before then.
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