Preston North End hit back at Chris Kirchner claims amid pending Derby takeover

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Preston North End have hit back after claims by American businessman Chris Kirchner that they raised the asking price during negotiations.

The Championship side were in discussions with Kirchner over a prospective sale but the deal is now dead in the water. Kirchner has instead revisited interest in fellow second tier side Derby County and is in the process of completing a deal for the stricken Rams.

During the weekend Kirchner took part in a Q&A session over social media, answering a variety of questions regarding his potential purchase of Derby. He also mentioned his brief dealings with North End, claiming that the asking price suddenly changed once conversations began.

Writing on Twitter, Kirchner said: "There was no “using” of Preston. We just found things in diligence that didn’t match what we expected and ultimately couldn’t come to a deal. It happens in business. We were still completing diligence and didn’t submit a plan to the league because it would have been premature. It was written and constantly changing as we learned more.

"Let’s do a hypothetical here… Ever buy a car? If someone