Welcome to football.london's live coverage of Chelsea on takeover deadline day as prospective owners of the west London club finalise their bids. Rain Group, handling the sale, had whittled down the potential buyers to just four as fans anxiously await who will get the keys to Stamford Bridge.
The Ricketts Family Investment Group are now out of the race leaving Todd Boehly's consortium, Sir Martin Broughton's consortium and Stephen Pagliuca as the three remaining bidders that are set to take over from Roman Abramovich. The trio, who have agreed to make cash-only offers according to the Times, were given extra time last week to table their final offers.
Bohely, who also owns a share in the American baseball side LA Dodgers, has emerged as the frontrunner, as per the BBC. Each and every fan has their preference as to who they'd like to see pick up the reins, but the latter has become a fan favourite.
Follow live updates right here.
Todd Boehly consortium boost
The Boehly train keeps rolling on and he has now received a major boost in his bid to become the new Chelsea owner after what his consortium have done.
More on football.london shortly...
Sir Martin Broughton. Todd Boehly and Steve Pagliuca bids for Chelsea made
Sir Martin Broughton, Todd Boehly and Steve Pagliuca have all had their bids for Chelsea confirmed as the Ricketts family dropped out of the running to become the club's next owners.
Tom Ricketts and co have faced much hostility in person and on social media from fans and pundits alike for past comments made by certain members, and even Thomas Tuchel had admitted before the Brentford that they had to face the consequences of their actions. However, after many online protests and even one in person that took place before the west London derby against Brentford, it seemed as though they were going to continue on with their bid as Ken Griffin and Dan Gilbert had joined forces with the Ricketts family in this bid.
Read more here.
Todd Boehly Chelsea takeover promise must use Liverpool blueprint as Tuchel statement shows
An opinion piece on why I think Todd Boehly's consortium is the best option for Chelsea from the shortlisted bidders left after The Ricketts withdrawal. And also how Liverpool's model can provide the inspiration to elevate Thomas Tuchel's project. Read here
Reaction to the Ricketts
Chelsea fans' demands have been met as the Ricketts Family have pulled the plug on their Blues takeover bid one day after the deadline had passed by for the next phase of proceedings. Tom Ricketts and co have faced much hostility in person and on social media from fans and pundits alike for past comments made by certain members.
Lets just say that lots of Chelsea fans are happy!
Best and worst case scenario for Chelsea
Hopefully the club can sort out the owner situation before the summer transfer window rolls around, so the current ban on any transfer-related business can be lifted. That should be the case, with the deadline for bids being having now passed.
Let us know who you'd sign first once the ban is lifted! All I'm saying is Rice, Rice baby...
Ricketts pull out!
The Ricketts Family have confirmed they have withdrawn their offer to purchase Chelsea Football Club. The controversial investors are no longer in the run-in to buy the club after mass protests regarding the possibility of them taking over.
The family released a statement to PA Sport: "The Ricketts-Griffin-Gilbert group has decided, after careful consideration, not to submit a final bid for Chelsea FC. In the process of finalising the proposal, it became increasingly clear that certain issues could not be addressed, given the unusual dynamics around the sales process.
"We have great admiration for Chelsea FC and its fans, and we wish the new owners well."
So, the Chicago Cubs owners have opted not to submit a final offer for the club. The consortium members, including US billionaires Ken Griffin and Dan Gilbert, we're unable to agree on the final ingredients of the offer.
Read more here.
Takeover deadline has passed!
The deadline for final bids to be entered for the takeover of Chelsea has now passed. It will now be up to the Raine Group to look at those bids for the four remaining parties involved.
Earlier this week a Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) spokesman confirmed a story first broken by football.london on March 15 that they will not be naming a preferred bidder.
“The government has no role in establishing a preferred bidder for Chelsea Football Club," the spokesman said. "Assessments of owners and due diligence are a matter for the club and the Premier League, not the government. Our role is to consider an application for an amended licence that authorises a sale of the club when it comes forward with a preferred bidder.”
Pagliuca makes Atalanta statement
Potential Chelsea owner Stephen Pagliuca has made what could be a big statement on his chase for the Blues - on deadline day.
The Atalanta co-owner was seen before the Italian's Europa League clash with RB Leipzig saluting fans an adorned with a blue and black scarf.
Read the full story here.
Inside the Chelsea dressing room
Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek has said that the Blues squad are trying to put the takeover process to the back of their minds ahead of this weekend’s FA Cup semi-final clash with Crystal Palace.
Speaking with the club's official website, he said: “We try not to think about the off-field things too much to be honest, especially when you have a game of this magnitude to focus on."
Read the full story here.
Let us refresh your memory
The Ricketts family were named as preferred bidders, whilst offers from the likes of Sir Martin Broughton and Todd Boehly’s consortium remain in contention. Finally, Stephen Pagliuca emerged as a late player for the Blues, and also progressed to the next stage of negotiations.
Loftus-Cheek lifts lid on takeover saga
Ruben Loftus-Cheek has said that the Chelsea squad are trying to put the takeover process to the back of their minds ahead of this weekend’s FA Cup semi-final clash with Crystal Palace. A deal for the club’s new ownership could potentially be set to progress over the coming hours, with a deadline for bids and official documents having been set by Raine.
Breaking news
Eugene Tenenbaum, a director at the club since the start of the Abramovich era, has been added to the UK government sanctions list this afternoon.
New owners must build around Mount
Mount's brilliant right-footed strike in the 15th minute ignited Chelsea into action against Real madrid. As picked out by stats guru Duncan Alexander after the goal went in, he has now scored more European Cup goals than Diego Maradona.
Wowza.
Chelsea to have full access to prize money
Chelsea expect to have full access to upcoming Premier League and Champions League prize money, according to CBS Sports.
Chelsea begin clearance
Chelsea have asked the Premier League to begin clearance of all four known bidders, according to CBS Sports. The report claims that the Premier League have been told to 'soft vet' all listed directors.
But, they can't carry out any formal testing before a final offer is presented. Tick, tock, tick tock.
Sale proceeds
Where the money from the transaction exactly goes remains unclear. The profits are expected to either go to charities dedicated to victims of the war in Ukraine or be placed in an escrow account, where it will be frozen and held for an undetermined length of time - perhaps until Roman Abramovich is no longer on the UK government sanctions list.
Here is an explainer of what is likely - but not guaranteed - to happen.
A reminder of who is who
Todd Boehly, the LA Dodgers owner, is leading a consortium considered by many to be the frontrunner of the four remaining parties. He has been joined in the process by Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss, Dodgers majority owner Mark Walter, and the MLB side's success under their guidance has encouraged many supporters.
Everything else you need to know about the other bidders is here.
Takeover deadline is set
Deadline is 22:00 GMT tonight where bidders have to submit documents to Raine Group, according to Bloomberg. The clock is ticking.
Lunchtime...
Now that it's lunchtime, we're going to go through and rate some Stamford Bridge submissions on @FootyScran from this season. If you don't follow them already you're missing out.
Chelsea to prioritise guardianship over financial gain
According to The Times, Abramovich and the Chelsea board will not necessarily choose the highest bid. Instead, they will prioritise the future guardianship of the club.
The report adds that the preferred bid is expected to be confirmed next week. Keep. Your. Eyes. Peeled.
Takeover saga pushes Rudiger closer to exit
Continued uncertainty around Chelsea’s ownership could lead to Antonio Rudiger joining Manchester United, Barcelona, Real Madrid or Juventus, according to Goal. Though there is a silver lining.
The four bidders are reportedly ready to offer the 29-year-old centre-half an attractive new deal. Goal claim that Rudiger was close to signing a renewal but sanctions saw negoatiations come to a halt.
It seems that the quicker the takeover is sorted, the quicker Chelsea can tie Rudi to a new contract. THE CLOCK IS TICKING!
Abramovich outlines two instructions for new Chelsea owners
While Abramovich is not set to receive any money from the sale as a result of the sanctions, he is expected to have a say on who ultimately succeeds him. The Russian billionaire wants whoever that is taking over to be consistent and to ensure that they bring benefit to the surrounding communities.
