Derby County takeover: Buyer Chris Kirchner exchanges contracts on deal for football club
Prospective Derby County owner Chris Kirchner says he has exchanged contracts on a takeover of the football club.
Kirchner has been locked in talks for months with administrators, stadium owner Mel Morris and the English Football League over a deal.
If completed, the transaction would bring to an end the crisis at one of the game’s historic giants, who have been mired in financial difficulties.
“I’m humbled and excited to share that we’ve exchanged contracts with [administrators] Quantuma and I will be the next owner of Derby County Football Club,” said Kirchner.
“These contracts are conditional on the sale of the stadium and some small bits. I don’t anticipate any issues completing the rest of this process in the coming days. I’ll begin funding the club next week.”
Administrators were reported to be seeking around £50m for Derby, who are managed by former England star Wayne Rooney and were relegated to the third tier this month.
It is not clear how Kirchner, who is chief executive of software company Slync.io and estimated to be worth £4m, is finding the purchase of Derby.
“The membership agreement with the EFL is agreed to, we have filed with the FA to recognize the transfer and my team is now moving forward on the process to rebuild this iconic club,” he added.
“This has been a traumatic period for everyone and I can say that I hope this is the most difficult transaction I have to complete for a very long time.
“Thank you to so many of you for the kind words and support through this process. Tomorrow is the first day of a new journey together and I cannot be more excited to be a Ram.”
Rooney has previously pledged to remain as manager if Kirchner took over.