Wayne Rooney-factor to be used in an attempt to lure Sheffield United star

The Star understands The Rams have Sharp on a list of targets for this transfer window and might be prepared to wait if there were signals from the Blades skipper that he could be interested.

As things stand, Chris Wilder has stated that there have been clubs willing to take the proven goalscorer on loan, given his limited gametime in the Premier League this season, but the boss is in no rush to push Sharp out the door.

Derby are believed to be courting other strikers, but hold Sharp in high regard - so much so that they could even hang on until the end of the transfer window if the 33-year-old declared even a slight willingness to make a temporary switch.

They are also hoping that the addition of England’s record goalscorer Wayne Rooney to the squad might be something that could tempt Sharp to chose Derby ahead of other interested parties which reportedly include Leeds United, Nottingham Forest, Sunderland and Celtic.

It is thought that, at present, Sharp is happy to remain at Bramall Lane.

Wilder said recently, it makes sense that teams in the Championship would be keeping a close eye on the promotion hero’s situation.

“If I was in the Championship and needed someone to give us a boost in January and score us some goals between now and the end of the season and saw that Billy Sharp wasn't playing at Sheffield United, then I would be asking the question,” he said.

"Always the decision is with Billy. Obviously from an individual point of view, Billy is disappointed he's not playing. The decision is with him and if he comes to me and says he needs to be playing then I will respect that."

Sharp has made 12 appearances in the Premier League for United this season, mostly from the bench and has scored once, in the opening day draw at Bournemouth.