Derby County may be a step closer to having their transfer embargo lifted as some players have now been paid their December salaries in full, per The Athletic.

But there is still uncertainty as it's not clear who has actually provided the funding, with a takeover of the club by Derventio Holdings still not complete.

January was supposed to be a key month for the Rams following an upturn in form on the pitch in December under Wayne Rooney's guidance, but the problems began to surface very early on.

The takeover that was agreed in principle in November and was promised to happen by Christmas is yet to be confirmed - the latest 'assurance' given to reputable journalist John Percy two weeks ago has still not happened either.

And the threat of administration this month due to the unpaid wages for last month is still real, but the club have gone a little way to easing their problems.

Quiz: Who has done more of these 15 things out of Derby and Nottingham Forest?

Ryan Conway of The Athletic says that the squad have been paid a 'flat rate' - meaning that some players have now been paid for last month in full and others have been paid partially.

So it doesn't mean that the club are out of the woods just yet, and it also means that the transfer embargo remains until the rest of the wages are settled.

Interesting Conway doesn't confirm where the new money came from, whether that be Sheikh Khaled, who is the face behind Derventio, or from another source - Derby may have gone back to MSD Holdings to ask for more funding following the loan they received back in August.

The Verdict

There does seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel for Rams fans, but there are still issues to resolve.

New players are a must at this point if Rooney wants to get Derby out of a relegation battle, but until the players are paid for their efforts last month in full that cannot happen.

The takeover uncertainty needs to be resolved in the next few days - and if not then the month of January will be an absolute disaster for Derby and players may need to be sold.