Derby County preferred bidder Chris Kirchner has confirmed he will start funding the Rams from May 7th, ensuring the second-tier side won't run out of funds as he took to Twitter to communicate with supporters.

The Rams are still in a perilous position at this stage with a takeover yet to be signed and sealed, even with the US businessman being named preferred bidder earlier this month in what was a major step forward in the process.

Previously struggling to name the party they wanted to take the club forward, the club's administrators are now satisfied Kirchner is the man to take on the East Midlands outfit despite initially seeing him pull out of the race in December.

Money is still tight at Pride Park though, although one positive is the fact the administrators were able to prove to the EFL last month that they will be able to see out the remainder of the 2021/22 campaign despite the situation they find themselves in.

It's currently unclear what role Kamil Jozwiak's seven-figure sale had in enabling the second-tier side to provide those proof of funds to the governing body - but the club's future looked uncertain after that with Wayne Rooney's men needing throughout the summer and beyond.

Kirchner predicts a takeover may not happen for a couple of months yet, but did provide reassurances that the money would be there until the takeover process is complete.

He posted: "The legal process of admin will take some time. Hopefully completely closed (the takeover) in June if not before. Our goal is ASAP (as soon as possible).

"I’ll take over funding from May 7, at which point we will be making decisions since I will be writing checks. Still a lot to do."

The Verdict:

This is great news for Derby - because it was unclear how the club would be funded after the season finished and the fact Kirchner is stepping in should help to provide some reassurance to those who are still sceptical of the businessman.

Getting a takeover complete is crucial - but short-term nuggets of good news will help to keep the club's supporters reasonably satisfied and they will be hoping these positives continue because this is a nervous time for them.

It previously looked as though a takeover would be reasonably easy to complete considering the size of the club and how attractive it would have been to potential investors - but this has dragged on far longer than many would have imagined.

This is why many are concerned about the consequences of this potential takeover not being pushed through - because a breakdown in talks last year would have been far less costly with the administrators still having a decent pile of money to play with at that point.

The signs are positive so far though and despite the Rams' relegation to the third tier, their fanbase will head into the next campaign reasonably satisfied on the condition that a new party has taken control of the club.