The Ricketts, who own the baseball team of the Chicago Cubs, a consortium of Lord Coe and another group led by British property investor Nick Candy have all submitted offers to buy Chelsea.
A bid deadline has been set at 21:00 GMT on Friday after the Premier League club was put up for sale by Russian owner Roman Abramovich.
Chelsea fan Candy says he has received additional investment from South Korea and his bid is “over £2 billion”.
Abramovich’s attempt to sell the club was halted after he sanctioned by the UK government and his assets, including Chelsea, have been frozen.
That move comes amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Abramovich understands that he has a close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
American investment firm Raine Group has been tasked with selling Chelsea and the UK government is expected to issue a new license, allowing the club to be sold, after a preferred buyer is made clear.
In spite of Official deadline to buy Premier League club west London is 21:00 GMT on Friday, with some final bids likely to be submitted over the weekend.
There are still more than 20 interested parties, but the number of confirmed bids is likely to be 10 to 15.
Chelsea and Raine Group will launch the shortlist next week, with the preferred bidder then requesting government approval, which will involve demonstrating the source of funds and where the funds will go next.
Any purchase would have to be signed off by a test by Premier League owners and directors – known as the ‘fitness and suitability test’.
One of the bids was submitted by a consortium led by former Liverpool chairman Sir Martin Broughton and Lord Coe.
“I’m still the only one [in the bidding process] led to a change of ownership at a major football club in a similar situation, which I did at Liverpool 12 years ago,” said Broughton, who is also the former chairman of British Airways.
“As a fan for life, I am committed to ensuring Chelsea maintain their preeminent position at the top of European football and to ensuring that we put the fans first.”
The group said fans will be “at the heart of decision-making” if the bid is successful and that it will “ensure the club is never attracted to an individual or property fund that has sovereignty”.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today program on Saturday, Broughton said the union was “absolutely ready” with recommendations laid out by a fan-led review of the sport on last year.
Former sports minister Tracey Crouch chaired the review, which stated Advocates should be consulted on all important decisions off the field through a ‘ball board’.
“All the ideas that Tracey Crouch came up with were on the table,” says Broughton.
“We don’t want to tell the fans what elements of the report we want to showcase, we want to sit down with them.
“We absolutely think the winning bid needs to be fan-friendly and it needs to follow the philosophy of the Tracey Crouch report.”
A spokesman for Candy’s Blue Football Consortium said: “I can confirm that the two Korean companies Hana Financial Group and C&P Sports Group are an important part of Mr. Candy’s global conglomerate.
“Their involvement represents Chelsea’s global brand and huge loyal fan base in Asia.”
Candy added: “Football clubs are hugely important cultural and community assets, and this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bring football back to the fans and put them at the heart of the game. operations and strategy of a top football club in the world.”
The bid from the Ricketts family is backed by billionaire hedge fund entrepreneur Ken Griffin.
Turkish businessman Muhsin Bayrak, who had previously expressed interest in the club, said late on Friday that his company AB Group Holding had not submitted a bid.
Bayrak blamed AB Group’s failure to meet the deadline due to a misunderstanding with its lawyers about the auction procedure, telling Reuters news agency he was “very upset” by the situation.
Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003 for £140m but in his statement announcing his intention to sell he said his ownership “never had to do with business or money, but a pure passion for for games and clubs”.
He values the club at £3 billion and has loaned the club £1.5 billion – but says he will not ask to repay any of the loans. Abramovich also said the proceeds from the sale will be donated to war victims.
The money from the sale can go to a charity or to a frozen account.
Who are the potential bidders for Chelsea?
- A consortium led by the former chairman of Liverpool Sir Martin Broughton, and with the participation of the director of London 2012 Lord Coe.
- The Ricketts . familywho owns the baseball team of the Chicago Cubs, is leading a bid from a group of investors.
- Swiss Billionaire Hansjorg Wyss and American businessman Todd Boehly formed a consortium to try to take over Chelsea. Currently with the participation of the American PR director Barbara CharoneBritish businessman Jonathan Goldstein and British journalist Daniel Finkelstein.
- Investment firm based in London Partner Aethelheaded by Portuguese businessman Ricardo Silva.
- British multi-millionaire businessman Nick Candy, Supported by former Chelsea striker Gianluca Viallico-owner of Tifosy, a merger and acquisition company for the football sector and with participation from Hana Financial Group and C&P Sports Group.
- Other parties reportedly interested include the US billionaire and the owner of the Philadelphia 76ers Josh Harris who has a stake in Crystal Palace, New York Jets owner Woody Johnson and a The group is based in Saudi Arabia.
What is the club worth?
Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003 for 140 million pounds but in declare when announcing his intention to sell, he said his ownership was “never related to business or money, but to a pure passion for the game and the club”.
He values the club at £3 billion and has loaned the club £1.5 billion – but says he will not ask to repay any of the loans. Abramovich also said the proceeds from the sale will be donated to war victims.
The money from the sale can go to a charity or to a frozen account.
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire thinks the £3billion price tag “seems outrageous” given the size of Stamford Bridge.
“Most commentators say it’s not big enough to generate the amount of money someone wants in the future,” said Maguire. “There’s no possibility of increasing Stamford Bridge because it’s located in London, so moving elsewhere in London would actually be very expensive.”
Will some potential buyers be able to buy Chelsea?
Football financier Kieran Maguire:
Chelsea have lost more than £900,000 a week since Roman Abramovich bought the club, on a salary of £28 million a month.
Most of the established organizations are affiliated with US investors who have franchise investments in NFL, NBA, etc.
What they will do there is change the model for better cost control at Chelsea, or try to generate more money.
Now we’re getting close to significant investment by Americans in the Premier League, so they may be looking to change the culture in the Premier League, perhaps with the aim of cutting spending to create more profit from a day-daily basis.
Considering Aethel’s accounts, it’s unusual for a company with relatively few assets to be able to bid as large as we’re talking about, in the £2-3 billion arena.
How quickly can a sale happen?
Abramovich has owned Chelsea since 2003, with the club winning 21 titles during his tenure. He has assets in England, including Chelsea, which have been frozen by the UK government and stripped of the club’s directorship by the Premier League.
The Blues are allowed to continue operating later a special license has been issued by the UK government,
This also ensures Chelsea’s 800 staff – plus hundreds more on match days – are paid and allows current season ticket holders to attend matches, but will need to issue permits. New license for the club is on sale.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said earlier this month: “Fastest solution [sale of a club] We made it 10 days, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be beat.
“Usually it’s a matter of a few weeks but it depends on the complexity and the number of potential owners.”
