American businessman Chris Kirchner still wants to become Derby County's next owner and wants a deal done as soon as possible despite their 21-point deduction, according to journalist Alan Nixon. 

The East Midlands club confirmed yesterday that they'd been given an additional nine-point sanction, with a further three points suspended, by the EFL for breaching profitability and sustainability rules meaning they've now been deducted 21 points this season and sit bottom of the table with -3 after 17 games.

Their original 12-point deduction was a result of the club going into administration back in September.

One of the administrators' main tasks is to find a new owner, which they hope to do by January 2022, and it seems Kirchner remains the frontrunner after making a £50 million bid last month.

Nixon reported after the confirmation of the new points deduction yesterday that the American businessman still wants the club and is keen for a deal to be completed as soon as possible.

The Verdict

This is fantastic news from a Derby perspective.

There will obviously have been concerns among fans that the confirmation of the points deduction yesterday, which is a death sentence to the Rams' hopes of survival, may put off prospective owners.

That doesn't seem to be the case, with Kirchner said to still be keen and wanting to get the deal completed as soon as possible.

Getting things completed before the start of the January window could be a huge boost for Derby, whose hopes of survival may have evaporated but will still be keen to keep hold of their key assets if possible.

This update suggests things are still on track, though the timeline of the deal remains a little uncertain.