Derby County could be hit with a 21-point deduction after they were charged by the EFL for recording excess losses over a three-year period leading up to June 2018.

That's according to the Daily Mail, who also say that this news has put any future investment into the club in doubt.

The Rams had hoped to have secured additional finance by the start of January in order to help Phillip Cocu in the transfer market but no real progress appeared to have been made on that front and this could explain why.

It is believed that the league's issue with Derby is concerning the sale of Pride Park to owner Mel Morris, which helped the club record pre-tax profits, however there is anger that the deal went through at what many are saying was an inflated price.

All of this will be heard by an independent panel and they have the power to dock 12 points as punishment for failing to fall in line with the Profit & Sustainability rules. A further nine point penalty could also be ordered if the EFL feel this was an aggravated breach, which may be argued given the controversy surrounding the stadium sale.

Whilst the Championship side intend to fight the decision, a 21-point deduction would have serious implications for Cocu's side as they are only nine ahead of the relegation zone.

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The verdict

This is a very worrying time for Derby fans and as it's something that won't be resolved immediately, it's going to be a tough couple of months for them.

Despite the club insisting that they had done nothing wrong with the stadium sale, it didn't seem right to many neutrals and a points deduction feels inevitable after what happened to Birmingham last season.

The issue will be how many points they are deducted and if they are hit with the maximum punishment then relegation to the third tier seems a real possibility.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.