Derby County manager Nigel Clough admits he is keen to keep Sunderland youngster Ryan Noble on loan at the club.
The 20-year old striker returned to Pride Park in early January for his second loan spell at the club which is due to finish this week.
But Clough says he will talk to Sunderland about the possibility of keeping Noble in a Rams shirt for the remainder of the season.
"It is important to know what Ryan is thinking and Sunderland control the situation because he is their player. They have a few injuries up front at the moment so they may want him back up there, we will have to wait and see.
"We would like to keep him around the place if we can as you can't have enough strikers and options to call upon.""We are going to have a chat with both Ryan and Sunderland in the next day or so and see where the land lies," Clough told his club's official website.
Click here to reach the No1 destination for hard news and exciting gossip on Sunderland