Chris Kirchner has reiterated his desire to buy Derby County despite their points deduction, as he revealed the first step has been passed on the long road to doing a deal.

The Rams entered administration back in September which saw them hit with an automatic 12-point penalty, whilst they were hit with a nine-point loss this week due to breaching EFL regulations.

As a result, Wayne Rooney's side are 18 points from safety, with relegation to League One now seeming inevitable.

Nevertheless, taking to Twitter, American businessman Kirchner gave an update to the support and confirmed that there should be no obstacles after they submitted documents regarding the owners and directors test.

"Many of you have been asking for an update since the news at the weekend— as I said in my letter this would be a long and complex process and it has proven to be exactly that and we knew there would be challenges with the club including additional points deduction which has not changed my intent.

"We are continuing with our work and diligence on the club. Yesterday my attorney was notified by the EFL that after our OADT submission of almost a dozen documents including sufficiency of funds and origin of funds they do not see any facts or circumstances that would result in any disqualifying condition.

"This is a great milestone in the process and I thank the EFL for their quick work on this matter. We will continue our work as there is still a way to go, but will update you as appropriate!"

The verdict

This is very encouraging news for the Derby support, who will be desperate for a new buyer to finalise a deal for the club.

And, even though it's early days, Kirchner does seem as though he would be the ideal new owner, as he has shown he has the money to deliver on his plans and talks well.

But, as he says, there's more work to be done before fans can get really excited and it will be interesting to see how it plays out.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.