Some of Derby County's latest bidders want to make a lower offer for the club than previous preferred bidder Chris Kirchner, according to a Patreon report from journalist Alan Nixon.

The Rams are currently on the prowl for a new buyer after American businessman Kirchner pulled out of the race earlier this week, a considerable blow for the League One side who thought they were close to being taken out of administration.

But his withdrawal has put the East Midlands outfit back in real financial peril, though there are no shortage of other parties with Andy Appleby, Steve Morgan and Mike Ashley all interested in taking the club off the administrators' hands.

 

 

According to Nixon though, interested parties believe Kirchner's offer to pay 35p in the pound to creditors was too high, with £21.4m needing to be paid straight away if other bidders were to match that proposal.

An alternative is paying 25p to the creditors over a one-year period - but Nixon believes that could also present a challenge with those being owed potentially needing to be paid quickly if the EFL makes that demand.

That could potentially be a deterrent to the likes of Appleby and Morgan, with Ashley waiting in the background until he becomes the last bidder as he looks to minimise the amount he will have to pay to purchase the third-tier outfit.

The Verdict:

If that 35p target (or 25p in one year) isn't met, then Derby face a 15-point deduction and that would be nothing short of disastrous considering how badly their previous points sanctions affected them last season.

With a takeover deal yet to be sealed, it may take manager Wayne Rooney all summer to get in the players he wants and that will mean it may take some time for the team to gel together, something Ipswich Town experienced in the early stages of last season under Paul Cook.

The Tractor Boys really struggled at first despite the calibre of players they brought in - and if the Rams struggle at the start of this term with a 15-point deficit to make up - they could be staring League Two in the face.

Although the top priority has to be keeping the club in existence, life in the fourth tier would be extremely disappointing and it would be difficult to see Rooney remaining at Pride Park if that were to happen.

Ideally, they need to start on zero points next season to give themselves the best possible chance of surviving before potentially pushing for promotion back to the Championship during the 2023/24 campaign, similar to the path Wigan Athletic took.