US businessman Chris Kirchner, who almost bought two EFL clubs, including Derby, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison

Chris Kirchner, who almost bought Derby County, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for fraud.

The American was sentenced to pay $65,415,938.12 in damages and was ordered to serve three years’ probation.

In a trial in January, the 36-year-old was found guilty of four counts of wire fraud and seven other counts of money laundering.

Although his lawyer asked for a five-year prison sentence, the judge ruled that 20 years would be more appropriate.

Kirchner was close to buying Derby back in 2022 after the club was placed into receivership.

The American, who was named as the preferred bidder in April 2022, was all but confirmed as the new owner of the Rams and received “conditional approval” to purchase the club.

This approval was based on his ability to make a down payment of £22 million.

However, six weeks after being named preferred bidder, Kirchner withdrew his interest because he was unable to pay the deposit.

This came just months after he backed out of a deal to buy fellow EFL side Preston North End.

The result was that Derby found themselves in an even worse situation and the club was on the verge of going out of business altogether.

Luckily for the Rams, they found a buyer and were saved from extinction in July 2022.

This season, Derby finished seventh in League One before gaining automatic promotion to the Championship last season.