[themaclad]

US businessman Chris Kirchner hopes to be cleared to take over Derby County at a meeting later this week.

He was confirmed last month as the preferred bidder for the club by administrators Quantuma.

And manager Wayne Rooney said last week that he expected the takeover to be completed within 10 days.

Kirchner is returning to England for a specially convened meeting on Thursday with the English Football League board when he expects to be given approval.

He posted on Twitter: "All approved except for the purchase agreement and the membership agreement (for the league membership of the club that I'll assume) which will be done Thursday with the EFL board. I'm coming over for that in person."

However, Rooney said last week that Derby City Council is working towards a deal to purchase the club's Pride Park ground from former owner Mel Morris and Kirchner confirmed his takeover would not go ahead until that happens.

Answering questions on social media, he said: "I'm conditional that MM no longer owns the stadium. I'm not directly involved in those discussions, so I don't have a comment right now. That's the last hurdle though."

Derby have been in administration since September 2021 and, having had 21 points deducted this season for going into administration and breaches of financial regulations, their relegation from the Championship was confirmed by a defeat at Queen's Park Rangers on 18 April.

However, they won 2-0 at Blackpool on Saturday and will play their final game before dropping into the third tier of English football for the first time since the mid-1980s at home to Cardiff City on Saturday, which Kirchner plans to attend.

He first expressed an interest in buying debt-ridden Derby last October, but withdrew his initial offer just before Christmas.

Kirchner subsequently re-entered the process and on 6 April Quantuma said his offer represented "the best deal for creditors and one which will secure the long-term future of the club".

He has already submitted information for the EFL's owners and directors' test and a forward business plan.

Derby remain under a transfer embargo until a takeover is completed and only have five players contracted for next season, but despite that, Rooney is pressing ahead with summer recruitment plans.

[themaclad]

Deal has to be done by Saturday may not be going to plan

[themaclad]

Chris Kirchner has held talks with former Derby County owner Mel Morris to try and facilitate the purchase of their Pride Park stadium.

US businessman Kirchner is the preferred bidder to take over the relegated Championship club.

The Rams were placed in administration last September and the ground issue is holding up the takeover deal.

Kirchner posted on Twitter that they "remain at an impasse" but criticised death threats directed at Morris.

Derby City Council has been working on a deal to buy Pride Park from Morris, so the takeover can be completed and the club taken out of administration.

Following talks last week, the English Football League said in a statement that the status of the stadium, Derby's home since 1997, was a "significant issue".

"It is clear that the complexity associated with this aspect of the transaction is the biggest hurdle to overcome," the statement continued.

Former Derby County owner Mel Morris
Mel Morris became Derby County's sole owner in 2015
Derby's relegation from the Championship - 50 years after the club won the old First Division title under Brian Clough - was confirmed by defeat at QPR on 18 April and they lost 1-0 at home to Cardiff in their final game of the campaign on Saturday.

Had they not had 21 points deducted for going into administration and breaches of financial rules, they would have finished 17th in the table, well clear of the relegation places.

Kirchner is pressing ahead with his plans for the club despite them dropping into the third tier for the first time since the 1980s.

"I've spoken to Mel this morning in a meeting with several of the key parties," he said.

"We remain at an impasse, but I'm hopeful everyone will come around to agree to save this great football club and so that we can move on with rebuilding it.

He continued: "It has been brought to my attention that Mel has received death threats and other threatening messages. There is absolutely NO place for that. Tensions are high.

"There is an unbelievable amount of emotion involved. However, violence and/or the threat of it is NEVER acceptable and I ask that everyone lets this play out in an appropriate manner."

[themaclad]

Derby County's administrators have exchanged contracts for the sale of the club with Chris Kirchner.

American businessman Kirchner will fund the club from next week and says he does not "anticipate any issues" completing the process of the sale.

In a statement, Quantuma said the exchange was "conditional on the sale of the stadium, EFL approval and receiving secured creditor consent".

The English Football League has conditionally approval the takeover.

In a statement released more than 12 hours after it was confirmed contracts had been exchanged by the administrators and Kirchner, the EFL said "the terms of a Membership Agreement" had been agreed with the American's 9CK Sports Holdings Limited company to allow the sale of the club.

Until the takeover is complete - with the sale targeted for 31 May or before - the club will remain in administration.

The EFL said "final approval is subject to Mr Kirchner completing on the asset purchase agreement and a deal being finalised in respect of a lease on" the club's Pride Park stadium by 31 May - which is still in the possession of former club owner Mel Morris.

Preferred bidder Kirchner said on Twitter: "Today is a day I'll never forget. I'm humbled and excited to share that we've exchanged contracts with Quantuma and I will be the next owner of Derby County Football Club.

"My team is now moving forward on the process to rebuild this iconic club. This has been a traumatic period for everyone and I can say that I hope this is the most difficult transaction I have to complete for a very long time."

Quantuma said: "The period of time between exchange and completion will allow the joint administrators and all relevant stakeholders the time required to work together to meet the conditions required to complete this very complex transaction."

Proposed takeovers of the club by Derventio Holdings and Spanish businessman Erik Alonso collapsed last year.

Derby were placed in administration by former owner Morris in September and docked 21 points over the course of the season because of that and breaches of EFL financial rules.

The penalties contributed to the Rams, who are managed by former England striker Wayne Rooney, being relegated from the Championship and into the third tier for the first time since 1986.

And at the moment they remain under a transfer embargo, have only five players contracted for next season and cannot agree new deals with others while the club is in administration.

Kirchner withdrew from the race to buy the club just before Christmas, but later revived his interest and was named as the preferred bidder on 6 April.

Morris still owns the stadium, but a group involving local businessmen, 'Team Derby' MPs and city council bosses are continuing to work on a deal to purchase it, so the Kirchner takeover can be completed.

Rooney has indicated a willingness to stay despite the club playing in League One next season and him being linked with other jobs.

He has a year remaining on the contract he agreed when he was confirmed in the post in January 2021.

'I expect Rooney to secure his future shortly'
Analysis - BBC Radio Derby's Rams commentator Ed Dawes

This is great news for supporters. The wilderness of missed deadlines had left the fan base in despair.

Chris Kirchner is key to Wayne Rooney's development of Derby County. I expect Rooney to settle his future shortly, and that will open the door to re-signing players who made such great efforts for him this season.

I am aware that several of them have attracted interest from other clubs, but are purely holding out for Rooney to sign a new contract.

Now Kirchner has exchanged contracts, it means Derby can work with a budget and move forward. The club can start planning to hire staff and rebuild the departments savaged by the previous ownership and administration.

They can also agree season ticket prices for League One and put them on sale, which in the closed season is massively important income for the Rams.

The one line of Kirchner and Quantuma's statements that offers a reason for caution is that the deal is conditional on the sale of the stadium.

Once that is done, then the past can finally be consigned to history. Until then it all hinges on Mel Morris agreeing a price that enables him to pay off his debts to Middlesbrough and MSD Holdings. He still holds the key.