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Prospective owner Chris Kirchner remains in the UK and determined to complete the purchase of Derby County, despite missing the Friday 5pm BST deadline set by club administration to show he would be able to to continue.
Although Quantuma administrators are now speaking to other parties and are said to have been in contact with the team handling Mike Ashley’s attempt to buy Derby late on Friday, Kirchner remains in a strong position as his deal was accepted and he passed English football passed League’s Owners’ and Directors’ test.
Derby’s administrators said in a statement on Saturday they wanted “to reassure all parties and supporters that they will not discriminate against any party where an offer is deliverable and credible”.
They added: “The joint administrators would like to confirm that they are working with a number of parties who have expressed a desire to acquire the club.
“As confirmed in [Friday’s] update, Mr. Kirchner is one of those parties as he remains committed to providing us with satisfactory evidence of his ability to complete the acquisition of the club.”
BBC Sport have been told the delay in Kirchner’s deal is that his funds are currently sitting in a clearing account awaiting anti-money laundering approval. It is not known when these checks will be completed.
Eyebrows were raised when Kirchner appeared at Pro-Am for the LIV golf tournament on Wednesday, but it’s understood the appearance was business-related.
The delays in completing the sale have drawn widespread criticism of Quantuma, while there have also been suggestions that Kirchner could have sorted its funding differently to avoid the current woes.
Derby administrators criticized the “level of reported inaccuracies” regarding the circumstances of the club’s takeover, calling it “divisive and needlessly both a rumor mill and growing fear, uncertainty and ill feelings among fans”.
They also clarified that they are not yet being paid for their work and “have incurred significant out-of-pocket expenses.” It had previously reports that Derby’s administrative bill could reach £3m from Quantuma.
The EFL are notoriously unhappy with the situation as it is now less than two weeks until the release of the fixtures for next season, which starts on July 30.
Former Newcastle owner Ashley has written to Quantuma about his lawyers, saying he “remains poised and ready to do business,” according to the PA news agency.
Ashley first expressed interest in buying Derby in October after selling Newcastle, but he made it clear in his letter to Quantuma, seen by the agency, that he “did not want to be treated as an emergency measure and need any form of security would” before possible takeover talks resumed.