Derby sale on cards as Morris seeks exit
MEL MORRIS is considering his future at Derby County with sources claiming he is losing around £3million a month as the owner of the Championship club. While sources close to the businessman, who has a net worth of around £500m, insist he has not put the club up for sale, they believe he will be ready to find a buyer if Frank Lampard fails to guide his side to promotion to the Premier League this season. Derby play Wigan this evening but recent results have seen them lose contact with the Championship play-off places. Saturday’s 4-0 hammering by Aston Villa was the Rams’ third consecutive defeat. Morris, who grew up supporting Derby and became sole owner of the club in September 2015, is said to have become increasingly disillusioned with the business of football, not least during the furore over the latest EFL Sky TV deal. Morris was among the most vocal in a dispute that led last month to the announcement that Shaun Harvey would be standing down as EFL chief executive at the end of the season. A legal dispute with former Derby chief executive Sam Rush is also said to have taken its toll, despite the pair having reportedly ‘settled their respective differences’ following Rush’s sacking in May 2017. While Morris has proved hugely successful in business, he has struggled with the nuances of football and dealing with players and their agents. And, it is understood, there is also a so-far confidential personal matter that is persuading him to consider finding a new owner for the club. Derby declined to comment last night but Morris has made no secret of his search for new investment. Ideally, sources have told
Sportsmail, Morris will retain ownership of the stadium while selling the club to someone he would consider a safe pair of hands. ‘Mel doesn’t need the money even if the club is costing him about £30million a year to run,’ said a source. ‘It will be important to him to find the right buyer; someone who will act in the very best interests of Derby County.’