The Football League have handed Derby County a four-week stay of execution after extending the deadline for the club's administrators to show there are sufficient funds to complete the season.
The club and the administrators, Quantuma, issued a joint statement on Thursday. It came after intensive meetings between the administrators and the three parties interested in taking over the club, which have so far failed to identify a preferred bidder.
Derby had until February 1 - just five days away - to show the EFL it had enough funds to finish the season.
"Following a formal review of revised financial forecasts at Derby County, the EFL and Quantuma (the Club Administrators) have today agreed a month-long extension to the deadline set for proof of funding to be provided," the statement said.
"The EFL Board had previously requested evidence by 1 February 2022 of how Derby County was to be financed whilst it remained in administration, alongside a financial plan that determined how the Club would fulfil its fixture commitments until the end of the current season."