Leeds are hoping to finalise a deal to sell Shaun Derry to Crystal Palace in the next few days.

The midfielder went on loan to Selhurst Park to get match fitness and he has done that by playing every game since.

He has now played 12 games for Palace, during which they have not been beaten and have climbed to fifth in the Championship.

The final game of his loan period was the 2-0 win over third-placed Bristol City on Saturday and Palace are keen to agree a fee to keep Derry.

His position at Elland Road has anyway become untenable since he fell out with manager Dennis Wise after refusing to return to play for Leeds when they were short of midfielders in December.

Since then, Wise has added to his squad, although there are still supporters who believe that Derry's drive and tenacity has never been replaced.

While the majority of fans blame Derry for not returning, some are sympathetic and the Leeds management - including chairman Ken Bates - are currently being criticised following a poor performance against Doncaster and news of a large season-ticket price increase.

The euphoria that surrounded the club when they wiped out their 15-point penalty in even time has dipped but assistant manager Dave Bassett has assured fans the club is still on track.

He said: "We are in a great position and we haven't finished chasing top spot. We are not kidding ourselves, we know it is going to be hard and that's why we have brought new players in."

Tomorrow's reserve match at Rotherham has been called off because the pitch is unplayable.

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