Former England winger Chris Waddle believes Sheffield Wednesday will find it hard to keep Max Lowe at Hillsborough if he has offers to stay in the Championship.

Derby County are one of several second-tier clubs to have been linked with the defender who came through the ranks at Pride Park before leaving for Sheffield United in the Premier League.

Lowe is out of contract this summer and would be a free agent which makes him a cheap and worthwhile addition to any squad in the Championship.

While Wednesday had a season to forget last term due to being in administration, Lowe was a standout performer and the Owls are keen to extend his stay.

But Waddle believes that will be a tall order for the Owls, particularly if there are offers of Championship football.

“There’s a lot of activity going on at the club and somebody like Max Lowe, he would be a big asset in that division,” Waddle told the Yorkshire Post.

“It’s a division lower, he’s handled himself well in the Championship, so we know he’ll get offers. He’s been a good player in the Championship, so there will be clubs that will look to take him.

“I’m sure Wednesday will make him an offer which is a good enough offer to play in League One this season. Whether Max has settled and likes it at Sheffield Wednesday may be a factor, I’m sure he does, but players get ambitions and does he want to drop if he can play in the Championship?

“It’ll be hard to keep him, it’ll be hard to turn the bids down if there is bids for him, but I think they’ll make him a decent offer because they know he’ll be a very good player for them in League One, and he’s got experience.”

Lowe can play centrally, or as a left-back, and with Derby having released Callum Elder at the end of the season, a new left-back is set to be on Derby’s agenda.

Lowe knows Derby well, having spent 13 years at the club, but was only a first-team regular for his final season and finished with 48 club appearances to his name.

He then left in an £11m double deal that took him and Jayden Bogle to the Blades six years ago.

Since moving to Wednesday, boss Henrik Pedersen has been impressed by his quality and is hopeful he will remain with the Owls.

Pedersen said: “He’s a fantastic character in the group and you can feel when he plays he makes a difference in the group. I call it one plus one is three – how we have the synergy between the players – he does a big job here.

“Defensively, he’s one of the best front-foot defending players we have, intercepting the ball, playing forwards. On the ball, he’s a strong possession player.

“We try him at left wing-back, left centre-back. We’re thinking next year, can he play as an offensive left-back? We work a lot right now with Max because we’re really, really happy to have him in the club.

“I’d be very happy if Max is a part of the future. I really like him as a person and I like him as a player. He’s a strong character.”

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