Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nehayan is in advanced talks with Mel Morris and could be the new Derby County owner as early as next week, according to a report from the Daily Mail.

The Rams have had a pretty sluggish start to the season in the Championship but have rallied a little more recently, drawing their last two games.

They take on Bournemouth this weekend in the Sky Bet Championship, meanwhile, and it could well be the last game that has Mel Morris as the owner of the Rams.

Indeed, according to the Mail, talks are close to reaching a conclusion and Sheikh Khaled could be the new man with the keys to the club in the coming days.

The Rams face QPR mid-week and we should have a good idea of whether they've got the deal done by then or not, by the sounds of it.

The Verdict

The Rams' supporters will naturally be excited by this news as it would be serious money coming into the club and, with that in mind, hopes for a real push to get back into the Premier League will come into play.

The initial issue needs to be improve form, though, and that can start today with game against Bournemouth.