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Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has agreed a ‘first option’ deal for Derby County’s brilliant youngster Will Hughes.

Rodgers will get the chance to buy the midfielder - seen as Steven Gerrard’s long-term successor - as part of a pact with the Rams.

The Kop chief has agreed to let England under-21 defender Andre Wisdom go to Derby on loan for the rest of the season.

Steve McClaren will be able to play Wisdom against Chelsea in the FA Cup this weekend after the new terms were struck.

Wisdom had been on a youth loan, with the option of going back to Anfield if Rodgers needed him. But now he has gone to Pride Park on a new basis.

And as part of the transfer Liverpool have an agreement with Derby that they get the option to buy Hughes when the Rams decide to sell.

(Image: Ben Hoskins)

Hughes has been on Rodgers’s radar for months but the Liverpool boss held back from buying him because he would not go into his side yet.

But the Anfield chief is a huge fan of Hughes and wants to be sure he does not lose him elsewhere if he is sold in the summer.

The deal suits all parties as Liverpool now have a major say in Hughes’s next move and Derby have their young talent safely tied up for the promotion push.

Hughes is also settled and playing well for McClaren’s side - with the Rams not looking to sell him at the moment.

And giving Wisdom an extended run in the Championship has worked out well for the player too.