Derby County fans have been forced to be very patient this year due to the ongoing delays concerning Sheikh Khaled Bin Zayed's prospective takeover. 

The financial issues the club faced in December and subsequent transfer embargo imposed for much of January indicated that new investment is needed but despite Sheikh Khaled's agreement first being announced back in November, it's yet to be completed.

It seems as though there could be some progress very soon, however, as reports last week indicated that Mel Morris had given a final deadline for the currently agreed deal to be completed, while it is believed that a decision is set to be made either way this early this week.

On top of that, it is understood that there are multiple interested parties waiting in the wings and ready to try to strike up a deal of their own should Sheikh Khaled's fall through.

Among those are an unnamed US group and former Sheffield Wednesday advisor Erik Alonso.

The Athletic has revealed that Derby are in advanced negotiations with Alonso over a full takeover, with sufficient funds understood to be in place for the deal and future investment in the club.

The report claims that no borrowing or debt would be included in such a deal, which Alonso is negotiating via his company No Limits Sports LTD.

Should that deal progress further, it would need to be approved by the EFL before it can be completed.

Rooney weighed into the takeover conversation once again late last week, with the Rams boss indicating he hopes it is wrapped up soon.

He said (via the Derby Telegraph): "Of course, it would be nice for it to get done. It would be a big help I feel if it gets done sooner rather than later but I have been talking about this for the last few months."

Things seem to be falling into place so he may well get his wish soon, though you feel supporters will likely remain cautious until there is something concrete in place – having suffered so many setbacks over the past six months or so.