Ashley renews contact with Derby administrators; still keen to buy club

Mike Ashley has made renewed contact with Derby County's administrators, and Sky Sports News has been told the former Newcastle owner remains very keen to buy the club.

It is thought there has been no reply from Quantuma, the administrators, to Ashley's approach, despite the period of exclusivity granted to prospective buyer Chris Kirchner expiring on Saturday night.

Kirchner has admitted on social media that negotiations with outgoing Derby owner Mel Morris over a separate deal for the stadium have reached an impasse.

Derby City Council has been in negotiations with Morris over the possibility of public money being used to buy Pride Park - an option which Kirchner is thought to favour, so that he can focus his resources on paying off Derby's substantial debt.

To that end, Sky Sports News has been told that Derby would face another automatic 15-point deduction from the EFL, if at any stage Kirchner defaulted on his business plan to pay 35p in the pound over a three-year period to the club's non-football creditors.