Derby County have endured a very tough start to the season and they are currently in the relegation zone ahead of tonight's game with QPR.

However, there have been some positives in recent weeks, with a switch to a back three seeing an improvement in performances.

Boss Phillip Cocu is sure to persist with that moving forward but they may need another centre-back to ensure he has enough options and it has been reported that Phil Jones is a target.

The Manchester United man is out of favour at Old Trafford even though he is currently injured and the Daily Star have stated that the Rams and Middlesbrough are keen on the former England international.

What's the latest?

News of Derby's interest only came out last week, so this is a relatively new story and there has been no further developments since then.

Given the depth at centre-back Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has, Jones is highly unlikely to play again for the club and there's no denying they would want to shift him if they could.

Derby County quiz: Can you name the club’s top goalscorer from the last 13 seasons?

Is it likely?

You'd have to say no right now. The major obstacle is the wages that the 28-year-old is picking up, which is believed to be around £100,000 a week.

Obviously, Derby aren't going to pay that, or anywhere near it, so there would need to be a lot of discussions to reach an agreement.

Despite that, there will be a desire for United to do a deal and there should be a desire for Jones to leave to get regular minutes, which means something could happen. Another potential issue is that there may be top-flight interest in the player.

So, there are several hurdles to overcome, which makes this a long shot.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.