Despite the off-field chaos at Derby County and the ongoing concerns about the future of the club, there have been plenty of positives on the pitch and the rejuvenation of captain Tom Lawrence is among those. 

The 28-year-old has been back at his match-winning best at points this season and with eight goals in 24 Championship games is on course for the most productive season of his career in front of goal.

He's come up big in some big games for the Rams and is one factor in why Wayne Rooney's side have been able to keep their dreams of second-tier survival alive despite being deducted a total of 21 points – so losing him in the final few days of the window would be a massive blow.

It's no secret that Lawrence is one of Derby's top earners so with his contract set to expire in the summer and the club struggling financially, there has been lots of speculation concerning his future.

Bournemouth and QPR are two of the clubs most recently linked, however, an update concerning the west London club has emerged that looks like a massive boost for the Pride Park outfit's hopes of keeping hold of their skipper and achieving a remarkable escape from relegation.

According to West London Sport, the R's have now moved their attention away from Lawrence and are focussing on wantaway Swansea City playmaker Jamie Paterson.

The Rams man is said to have been Mark Warburton's top target and the W12 outfit did make an approach but talks are not progressing despite the fact that we're now fast approaching Monday's transfer deadline.

The update hints that the club's administrators are being firm in their negotiations over Lawrence, with previous reports suggesting that they are likely to demand a substantial fee for him, and it seems that has put the R's off.

Bournemouth's stance is unclear but with one less side pursuing him, the Rams may just be able to hold on to their captain and with it their chances of securing Championship survival.