The deadline to submit an official bid for Chelsea with the Raine Group is fast approaching. Ahead of the set March 18 date, three parties have been credited with serious interest and preparations to produce the money are in full swing.
On the pitch, it was business as usual for Chelsea as they beat Lille 2-1 on Wednesday night to secure passage to the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. However, off the pitch, the predicament the Blues find themselves in is anything but usual; Roman Abramovich has been sanctioned by the United Kingdom government, meaning that while he announced his intention to sell the club beforehand, things have since become severely complicated.
March 18, has been set as the deadline by the Raine Group – the bank entrusted with handling the sale on behalf of the owner – for interested parties to produce the money. Three groups have been credited with a serious interest, while there are several more in the mix.
Among those confirmed to bid for the club on the auction date is the Ricketts family, who own the MLB franchise, Chicago Cubs. The family has teamed up with billionaire Ken Griffin and, through a statement on Wednesday, established their interest in buying the club.
“As long-time operators of an iconic professional sports team, the Ricketts Family and their partners understand the importance of investing for success on the pitch, while respecting the traditions of the club, the fans, and the community. We look forward to sharing further details of our plans in due course,”
the statement read.
There is interest in Chelsea from the Middle East, too. Saudi Media Group is reportedly planning to submit a 2.7 billion pounds offer to buy the club from Abramovich – although previous reports claimed that the Russian had slapped a 3 billion price tag on the club.
Mohamed Alkhereiji, head of the group, is a Chelsea fan, and his group is thought to have no links to the Saudi government, which, through its sovereign wealth fund, purchased Premier League club Newcastle United recently.
Furthermore, the Todd Boehly-Hansjorg Wyss consortium is also proceeding ahead with its planned offer for Chelsea, as per the Telegraph. Reports emerged earlier this week that the group was looking for more partners, which has since been countered. It is believed that the group has already submitted a bid to buy the club.
