Derby County are close to agreeing a new investment deal, with negotiations expected to be concluded this month.

Mel Morris, the Derby owner and chairman, has been in talks with the consortium since September and an announcement is due to be made by the end of this year.

Morris will be staying on as chairman and the deal will ensure manager Phillip Cocu will be given funds to strengthen his squad in the January transfer window.

Derby have attracted interest from all over the world but the consortium are Morris’s preferred option and edging closer to an investment partnership deal.

Morris told Telegraph Sport in May that he was keen to bring in extra finance.