Chris Kirchner has withdrawn his offer to buy Derby County after it stalled in recent days.

The American businessman was named as the preferred bidder earlier this year and it had seemed as though he would close the deal earlier this month.

However, despite claims it would get sorted, it wasn't signed off, with Kirchner failing to meet the 5pm deadline that was set on Friday.

Even so, there were still reports stating Kirchner was determined to buy the club but Telegraph journalist John Percy has confirmed tonight that he is officially out of the running.

"Chris Kirchner has withdrawn his bid to buy Derby tonight and is now OUT. CK has notified the EFL that he is regretfully pulling out. Crucial time wasted, and now it’s over to the other interested parties to get a deal done."

Fortunately for the Rams, there is still plenty of interest in purchasing the club, with Steve Morgan, Mike Ashley and Andy Appleby just some of the names having been linked, whilst unnamed parties are also thought to be monitoring the situation.

The verdict

This has been a real messy few days for all involved in this bid and major questions will be asked of Kirchner, and the administrators, as to how they've managed to get to this stage.

As the update mentions, the biggest issue is the time it's wasted but there is at least still other interest in the club, so all hope is not lost.

This will at least stop the speculation surrounding Kirchner and it's now down to the other parties to stump up the cash required to get this deal done.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.