Derby County transfer latest: Max Bird deal close, Lee Gregory & Michael Smith update and Liverpool bid rebuffed | OneFootball

With just hours remaining in the January transfer window, EFL clubs are starting to close out their deals ahead of the final three months of the season.

And Derby County are one of the several promotion-chasing League One sides that are looking to complete last minute business if they can in order to strengthen their squads.

Let's take a look at the latest news coming out of Pride Park as the 11pm deadline gets closer...

Bird closing in on Derby exit - but there's a twist

Two of Derby's key players - Max Bird and Eiran Cashin - are out of contract at the end of the season (the latter has an optional one-year extension, though), and there has been significant interest in the pair in the summer transfer window and since then too.

But whilst centre-back Cashin will be remaining with the Rams until at least the summer, it is time for Derby to wave goodbye to Bird - as a permanent County player anyway.

As first reported by The Telegraph's John Percy, Championship outfit Bristol City are close to signing the 23-year-old midfielder on a permanent basis, but they will immediately loan Bird back to Pride Park for the remainder of the season, presumably as for now, Liam Manning is happy with his midfield options.

That will be a big boost to Derby, who not only get the midfield maestro back for their promotion push but they also guarantee a fee instead of having to go to tribunal in the summer, where they would not be guaranteed to get the same figure.

Even though Derby are getting Bird back on loan and Cardiff City's Gambia international Ebou Adams was signed on Deadline Day Eve, Paul Warne has seemingly been looking at other targets too.

According to Liverpool insider DaveOKCOP, County made an approach to Liverpool to bring highly-rated youngster Bobby Clark to Pride Park for the rest of the season.

However, that approach was rebuffed, with Jurgen Klopp wanting to keep the 18-year-old - who is the son of Lee Clark - around his relatively small first-team squad instead of loaning him out for first-team minutes.

It has been apparent that Derby have wanted to add to their strike-force in the month of January, with Warne seeing Michael Smith as a long-term target after having the target man at Rotherham United in the past.

A deal had not been agreed though with Sheffield Wednesday, so attentions had also turned to Lee Gregory, who has spent time on loan at Pride Park in the past.

However, it looks as though neither of the experienced strikers will be heading to Derbyshire after all, despite their chances of first-team football at Hillsborough for the rest of the season being limited.

Dom Dietrich of BBC Radio Derby claims that due to the demands of the Owls, deals for either striker appear to be off at Derby's end, although with how volatile the transfer window is, there could be another twist to come.