Chris Kirchner hits back at lack of funding claims amid potential Derby takeover

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Derby County's potential new owner Chris Kirchner has moved to allay fears over his source of funding for the stricken Championship club.

American businessman Kirchner was named as preferred bidder for the Rams last week. Derby have been in administration since last September and are in desperate need of fresh ownership to secure their future. Kirchner had previously withdrawn a bid to buy Derby before switching attentions to fellow Championship side Preston North End. He then backed out and made a u-turn, revisiting his interest in County.

A report in the Daily Mail claimed that the deal for Preston did not go through because the club were concerned when Kirchner did not provide proof of his sources of funding. The report claims Kirchner showed a bank statement with a balance of more than £60m.

It is said that alarm bells were ringing at Deepdale when Kirchner tried to knock down the price of the club after a deal had already been agreed.

Now, the American has given his side of the story. In a Twitter question-and-answer session, he responded: “Valuations on my company are wrong and most of that is illiquid. The money for the team came from private investments and early investments in crypto. I’ve had to show this to Preston. Quantuma (Derby's administrators) and the EFL have seen it when we previously engaged in Derby. It’s also been shared with one