Championship outfit Derby County could face yet another investigation from the football authorities, it has been claimed.
According to a report in the Daily Mail, several Championship clubs have taken issue with a loan provided by MSD UK Holdings Limited owing to a perceived conflict of interest which has seen them raise the issue with the EFL.
It’s understood Mel Morris agreed a £30m loan from a private equity firm owned by Michael Dell earlier in 2020, just 12 months after the American billionaire gave a similar loan to another EFL club - Sunderland.
The Mail claim the move has angered rival clubs, who say the Rams have broken EFL rules, with them demanding clarification on the terms of the loan.
It is prohibited within EFL rules for third-party investors to invest in multiple clubs, unless the lending is provided by a commercial bank, which MSD are not.
The report goes on to claim it is not 'in the ordinary course of banking’ because MSD are not registered with the banking regulator - the complaint will likely be viewed by the EFL board, who have the power to relax some of its provisions under Regulation 112, should they deem that appropriate.
Such a complaint would likely come as yet another annoyance to owner Morris, who is currently awaiting the outcome of the long-running EFL investigation into the sale of Pride Park Stadium, which also angered other clubs.
Should Derby be found guilty by an independent panel, then they could be deducted 12 points ahead of the new season which starts on September 12.
Neither the EFL nor Derby County have commented on the latest reports.