CHERRIES reportedly expressed interest in Derby County's Tom Lawrence, with the club suggested to be reluctantly willing to offload the star for free.

The Rams captain is one of the club’s highest earners and they are hoping to get him off the books in order to continue cutting costs, with his weekly wage reportedly as high as £37,000.

The Championship strugglers are hopeful of concluding takeover talks by the New Year but, with a further 21 points deducted for past financial breaches and going into administration, all plans are based on them being in League One next season.

According to the Daily Mail, Swansea City, Cherries, Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion have all expressed an interest in the Wales international.

Lawrence has scored 28 goals in 146 appearances since joining from Leicester City in 2017, and has the versatility to operate in a number of wide and central midfield positions.

Rams manager Wayne Rooney has been complimentary of his player in the past, saying: “I feel Tom Lawrence has been very good as captain.

“I wasn’t expecting him to be the biggest voice in the dressing room because people lead in different ways.

“He could have scored more goals but his work ethic and the way he leads from the front has been excellent.”

In the 2018-19 season, Lawrence played on after his mum’s sad passing and helped the side to the Championship play-off final, before contributing to the club’s fan magazine.

He spoke of his mental health’s deterioration following his loss and how the support of then-manager Frank Lampard guided him and helped him get through his toughest moments.