Derby County have been made to make Sammie Szmodics’ move permanent at the conclusion of the season after a condition in the loan deal was activated during the early parts of the campaign.

The 31-year-old linked up with former Blackburn Rovers boss John Eustace in January on an initial loan from Ipswich Town – the team he joined following his 27-goal Championship campaign with Rovers in 2023/24.

He was a major figure in the Rams’ late play-off push in the second half of the season which was agonisingly close on the last day so it seemed an obvious decision to bring him back to Pride Park for the current campaign.

Szmodics joined on a season-long loan but that will be made permanent at the end of the campaign.

Details of Sammie Szmodics’ permanent move to Derby County

Szmodics has already triggered the appearance-based clause in the loan deal that saw him return to Derby just two months ago, Derbyshire Live reports.

It’s apparent that an injury terminating his season would have been the only way to keep the 31-year-old from returning to the Rams for good after playing just eight games this season.

John Eustace’s team will pay an initial £2.7million at the conclusion of the season but if Derby achieve promotion to the Premier League this season that price tag would rise to £5million, the report claims.

The Rams have been one of those not yet to get going this season, lying inside the bottom three with just five points from eight games. Without Mo Fuseni’s late equaliser at Burnley in the last game before the international break, they would have been propping up the bottom of the table.

Ipswich will have to do a lot to nearly quadruple their intake with the sale of Szmodics. Nonetheless, the Irishman will be a Derby player in the summer on a permanent basis.

Sammie Szmodics has enjoyed a promising 2026 with Derby County

Szmodics has a lot of pressure on his shoulders in the Championship, purely because to his fantastic year at Blackburn a few seasons back. He has not touched those heights scoring wise, but he has done well so far at Pride Park.

Last season he got three goals and an assist in 13 games in a Derby shirt and this year it’s two goals and an assist in seven plus one goal in the EFL Cup. A good return for an attacking midfielder in a Rams side that has struggled to generate this year.

Sammie Szmodics Derby County stats

Games

21

Objectives

6

Assists

2

He’ll probably never reach the same goalscoring levels as he achieved in 2023/24, but considering that 2023/24 was very much an abnormality campaign compared to his prior Championship terms, anywhere between 10 and 15 goals this season will be a very good return for the 31-year-old.

You’d think that if he can keep healthy he will be able to get into double figures before his permanent relocation to Pride Park.

Derby County will be looking to Sammie Szmodics to get them going after a poor start

Derby’s squad has been so injury-hit so far this season, so Szmodics has been the major goal-getter for John Eustace’s side at this period in time, although Fuseni has shown potential in limited time on the field.

The Rams may have taken a point from the bottom-three encounter with Burnley but it doesn’t hide what has been a genuinely tough start to the season. If more bad results follow after the international break fingers will start to be pointed towards the dugout.

John Eustace was anxious to get Szmodics back to Pride Park in the summer and the key now is ensuring he’ll still be in a job to get the best out of the attacking midfielder as the campaign goes on.

Derby are at home to Wrexham on Saturday looking for their first league win of the season and a way out of the relegation zone.