Derby's administrators could seek a legal ruling on their compensation battles with Middlesbrough and Wycombe if the Football League don't step back from their current position of the cases being regarded as football debts, BBC Sport understands.
Boro and Wycombe are both pursuing Derby for what they regard as a loss of income due to the troubled Championship club's financial rule breaches.
It is not felt within Pride Park there is much chance of the claims being successful.
However, the mere fact they exist is preventing the administrators from naming a preferred bidder for the club, which they said on Christmas Eve was "imminent".