A potential takeover of Derby County could be further away than first thought after debts and future liabilities of more than £60million were discovered.

Reports from the Daily Mail has detailed that interested buyers are 'walking away' due to the substantial debt, which includes a HMRC bill of more than £20million, £8million owed to former boss Phillip Cocu and his two assistants, £17.5million in the form of a loan with interest with MSD Holdings; not to mention the £2.3million compensation payment to former captain Richard Keogh.

It's claimed that the desperation of the situation means that Mel Morris needs to find a buyer for the club, otherwise 'we could be looking at the biggest liquidation in the history of British football'.

To say that Derby are in the tricky situation is an understatement.

A club statement revealed that the EFL had won their appeal against the Rams for breaching Financial Fair Play regulations, meaning that the Rams could be facing potential sanctions in the form of a fine of a points deduction.

What that means moving forward remains to be seen, but with Erik Alonso's takeover of the club now official being called off it seems that Mel Morris is in a particularly tricky position.

The verdict

The next few weeks and months are going to be massive for Derby County.

Erik Alonso looked like he was going to be the club's savior but after that takeover deal fell through it seems that the Rams are now in a more desperate situation than anyone realised.

The Rams are in heaps of debt and that means that finding a new buyer for the club is going to be incredibly difficult - after all, why would anyone invest in a club that is in such a poor state?

Mel Morris will be praying that a suitable buyer emerges, because otherwise, the next 12 months could have huge ramifications for the club.