Derby County could be forced to sell key players in order to bring in money needed to help the team finish the season.

The Rams off-field issues have been well-documented and they aren't going away, with the EFL demanding that the administrators show they have proof of funds to finish the campaign if a takeover doesn't go through, which they haven't been able to do yet.

Therefore, Daily Mail reporter Craig Hope stating that the club's stance on selling players has changed, with club seemingly open to doing deals.

"Understand Derby's players were told this morning if they want to leave club they should now speak to the administrators. It marks a definite shift in stance after Quantuma ignored calls/rejected offers. Sources say funds are desperately needed to satisfy EFL."

It has been claimed that the club rejected offers for some players earlier in the window, with Louie Sibley and Lee Buchanan known to be attracting plenty of interest from elsewhere.

Wayne Rooney suffered a blow today when it was announced that Phil Jagielka had left the club because of these financial problems.

The verdict

This is not good news at all for Derby because the team have shown amazing fighting spirit under Rooney and staying in the Championship wasn't out of the question, even if it was a long shot.

However, if players follow Jagielka out the door relegation is inevitable but the bigger issues for Derby are what this means for the future of the club.

The fans need answers from the administrators about what is happening because they will be fearing that the squad will be ripped apart this month now and then wonder where it leaves a potential sale.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.