Derby County and Middlesbrough are among the clubs interested in signing Phil Jones from Manchester United in the January transfer window, according to The Daily Star.
It has been reported that Burnley manager Sean Dyche wants to sign Jones from Premier League rivals United when the transfer window opens in January.
The report has claimed that Dyche is looking at the 28-year-old defender as a potential replacement for James Tarkowski, who is on the radar of West Ham United, but if the proposed takeover by Egyptian businessman Mohamed El Kashany and lawyer Chris Farnell goes through, then the Clarets will no longer have to sell him.
That would open the door for Championship clubs Derby and Middlesbrough to make a move for the former Blackburn Rovers man in January, according to the report.
Do Derby County have advantage over Middlesbrough?
The presence of Wayne Rooney at Derby could give the Rams an advantage over Championship rivals Middlesbrough.
Rooney played with Jones at United and for the England national football team, and he could convince the 28-year-old to make a move to the Rams and help in their quest to win promotion from the Premier League.
However, with Jones earning £100,000 per week as salary, according to The Daily Star, it may not be easy for the Rams to come up with a wage package.
United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has left Jones out of his Premier League squad, but he did suggest this week that the defender could be back in contention after December, as quoted in The Daily Star.
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