Middlesbrough have moved quickly in this January window so far, having already seen Rudy Gestede make the move to Teesside, and they look set to allow young midfielder Julien de Sart to leave on a loan basis.
According to local paper, The Gazette, former Middlesbrough boss Steve McClaren is close to bringing in de Sart to help with Derby's promotion bid.
Slow start for de Sart at Boro
De Sart joined Middlesbrough in January 2016, but has featured just three times since moving from Standard Liege.
The 22-year-old who played 62 times for the Belgian side has struggled to break into the Middlesbrough side and has found himself down the pecking order since he signed.
Marten de Roon's arrival in the summer has meant that de Sart's only appearance this year was the extra-time defeat to Fulham in the EFL Cup.
Chance to impress at Derby
De Sart will be hoping he will get his opportunity at Derby County. Derby sit 7th in the Championship table and lost to Norwich City on Monday.
Steve McClaren returned to Derbyshire for his second stint in charge of the Rams last year and will be hoping to duplicate his success of his last tenure as he reached the play-off final but lost to QPR.
McClaren is no stranger to Middlesbrough having managed them for five years, leading them to the Carling Cup in 2004 and the UEFA Cup Final in 2006.
He has obviously kept his contacts at the club and hopes that de Sart will be a success for his Derby side.
Elsewhere, Boro's backup goalkeeper Tomas Mejias is on the verge of sealing a loan switch of his own, to Spanish second division side Rayo Vallecano.