US software entrepreneur Chris Kirchner will become the new owner of Derby County at the end of this month.
After months of discussions and obstacles to the sale, Mr Kirchner – the co-founder, chief executive and chairman of global logistics software provider Slync.io – has finally exchanged contracts with the club’s administrators Quantuma.
Mr Kirchner has made it clear the deal is subject to former Rams owner Mel Morris selling the Pride Park stadium, which has not been part of the ongoing administration, but saw no reason why that wouldn’t happen.
In a tweet he said: “I will be the next owner of Derby County Football Club. 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.”
In a statement early on Tuesday, Quantuma said the sale was targeted to be complete by May 31.
It said: “The joint administrators can confirm that they have exchanged contracts for the sale of the business and assets of the club with preferred bidder.
“In addition, the joint administrators can confirm that in the interim period between exchange and completion, funding for The Club is being provided by Mr Kirchner, in a demonstration of his ongoing commitment to securing the long-term future of the club.
“The exchanging of contracts is conditional on the sale of the stadium, EFL approval and receiving secured creditor consent.
“The period of time between exchange and completion will allow the joint administrators and all relevant stakeholders the time required to work together to meet the conditions required to complete this very complex transaction.
“The joint administrators would like to express their thanks, to all relevant stakeholders for their co-operation and work, towards achieving a successful completion.”
Writing on Twitter, Mr Kirchner said: “I’ve been beyond fortunate and I’ll never forget how lucky I am. I’ve had the opportunity to realise many of my dreams and even a lot of things beyond my dreams. Today is a day I’ll never forget.
“I’m humbled and excited to share that we’ve exchanged contracts with Quantuma.
“The membership agreement with the EFL is agreed to, we have filed with the FA to recognise the transfer and my team is now moving forward on the process to rebuild this iconic club.
“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.”
Derby have just been relegated to League One as a result of being deducted points due to the financial problems that forced the club into administration.
Derby North MP Amanda Solloway said it was great news.
She said: “There has been a tremendous amount of discussions, meetings and correspondence, but there is no doubt that the part played by the fans, in joining the march to the Birmingham City game, voicing their support on social media and turning out to the games in such amazing – and vocal – support both home and away.
"Their passion and their refusal to give up has been extraordinary and even though there are still some hurdles to be crossed, I hope that they can breathe a huge sigh of relief today and look to the future of Derby County Football Club.
"It has been a pleasure to spend time with Chris. And he has paid tribute to the passion of the Derby fans – he is no doubt what the club means to the people in Derby and it's one of the reasons he was so keen to invest.
"We are so pleased that this deal, which Team Derby and I have been working on for months, has now gone over the line. Finally, we have something to really celebrate."
