Preston North End have hit back after claims by American businessman Chris Kirchner that they raised the asking price during negotiations.
The Championship side were in discussions with Kirchner over a prospective sale but the deal is now dead in the water. Kirchner has instead revisited interest in fellow second tier side Derby County and is in the process of completing a deal for the stricken Rams.
During the weekend Kirchner took part in a Q&A session over social media, answering a variety of questions regarding his potential purchase of Derby. He also mentioned his brief dealings with North End, claiming that the asking price suddenly changed once conversations began.
Writing on Twitter, Kirchner said: "There was no “using” of Preston. We just found things in diligence that didn’t match what we expected and ultimately couldn’t come to a deal. It happens in business. We were still completing diligence and didn’t submit a plan to the league because it would have been premature. It was written and constantly changing as we learned more.
"Let’s do a hypothetical here… Ever buy a car? If someone raises the price halfway through the deal by 10 per cent over what you agreed then wants to force you to buy options and packages you don’t want/need with the car, would you buy it?"
Those claims have strenuously been denied by Preston, who released a strongly-worded statement without specifically referencing the American.
It read: "Whilst we have never confirmed publicly, due to a Confidentiality Agreement, which party(ies) we engaged with in regard to the recent potential sale of PNE, we have noted comments circulating on social media and would like to make the following statement. When we were approached in February 2022 regarding the potential sale of the Club a number of valuations were put to us by one party culminating in an offer which was confirmed as acceptable. This was just the start of a process that could have led to a successful takeover. Various other elements that would have been required were not completed by the bidder within the agreed timescale.
"The most important point to make absolutely clear is that contrary to suggestions in the public domain we at no time increased the asking price from the price and terms included in the originally agreed offer."
Kirchner was last week named as preferred bidder by Quantuma, administrators who have been in place at Pride Park since last September. He has been on the charm offensive with Derby fans and over the weekend he responded to a question asking if Wayne Rooney would still be in charge next season, should his takeover get rubber-stamped. Kirchner responded: “He will. He’s a big reason I came back. I believe he is the best young manager in the game.”
Derby, hamstrung by a 21-point deduction, lost at Swansea on Saturday and are nine points adrift of safety with just five matches remaining. They host Fulham on Good Friday.
