Sheffield Wednesday's League One rivals Derby County remain in limbo as takeover fears grow

Sheffield Wednesday's League One rivals Derby County face a crunch 24 hours as fears are growing Chris Kirchner's proposed takeover of the club are set to collapse. American businessman Kirchner had been hoping to finalise his deal for the Rams after being named the preferred bidder by administrators on April 6.

Kirchner said all the necessary paperwork had been completed and told Derby fans on Twitter that the Bank Holidays both in America and in England had held up the process. But despite Kirchner's assurances, reports in Derbyshire suggest the transfer of the money required to finalise the deal has not yet gone through and the 34-year-old's buyout could fall through.

The English Football League conditionally approved Kirchner's takeover when contracts for the sale of the club had been exchanged on May 17. The governing body said at the time "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.

The EFL said it expected the purchase to be finalised by May 31 - but that deadline came and went without any progress. Should the deal fall through, it will be the second time an attempt by Kirchner to buy the club has failed.

The Rams have been dogged by off-the-field problems over the last 12 months. They survived relegation by the skin of their teeth in 2020/21 after a dramatic final-day draw with Wednesday.

But Derby were placed in administration last September and were hit with a 21-point deduction last season. They suffered relegation to the third tier for the first time since 1986 after finishing second-from-bottom in the Championship.

Barnsley and Peterborough United also went down with Derby and will line up against the Owls next