Chelsea

Boehly-Wyss-Goldstein consortium · Ricketts family and Ken Griffin · Team Broughton-Coe · Woody Johnson · Nick Candy and partners · Saudi Media Company · Other ...

Candy this week denied he could team up with Boehly, Wyss and Goldstein, with a spokesperson saying Candy did “not want a lifelong Spurs fan as part of the future ownership of Chelsea”. Candy, a Conservative party donor and property developer, has said he would put a fan on the board and his proposals include plans for an expensive redevelopment of Stamford Bridge. He has enlisted the sports advisory and capital solutions firm Tifosy, co-founded by the former Chelsea player and manager Gianluca Vialli. He has acknowledged the need to team up with other investors and sources have said he has been approached by several and has the funds in place to bid. He is the billionaire heir to the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical fortune. Coe is a former Conservative MP and worked closely with Boris Johnson over the 2012 London Olympics, when the prime minister was the mayor of London. The UK government must approve Chelsea’s sale after imposing sanctions on Abramovich, although the process is being overseen by the US bank Raine. The Ricketts family, who announced on Wednesday they would bid on Friday, first made an attempt to buy Chelsea in 2018. The Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss was first to go public regarding Roman Abramovich’s desire to sell and to declare an interest in buying the club.

Citadel's Ken Griffin and Chicago Cubs' owners submitted a joint bid to buy Chelsea FC – joining a list of potential buyers as Russian oligarch Roman ...

Last April, Forbes estimated the club was worth about $3.2 billion. J. Joe Ricketts founded Omaha, Neb.-based Ameritrade; his son, Pete, is the Republican governor of Nebraska. Citadel founder Ken Griffin and the owners of Major League Baseball’s Chicago Cubs have submitted a joint bid to buy Chelsea FC – joining a growing list of potential buyers ahead of a Friday deadline as sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich moves to sell the team.

London-based equity firm Aethel Partners became the latest bidder for Chelsea, with an offer in excess of £2 billion ($2.63bn), sources told ESPN.

Sources have told ESPN that two or three preferred offers will then be identified and put forward. The U.K government will need to grant a licence to allow a sale of Chelsea to be completed but the Department of Culture, Media and Sport have indicated they are likely to approve any such application once the preferred bidder has been identified. The New York-based merchant bank Raine Group, appointed to manage the sale, have set a deadline of 9 p.m. GMT (4 p.m. ET) on Friday for the final submission of bids.

A consortium led by Chicago Cubs owner Thomas Ricketts will submit a formal offer for Chelsea, a spokesman has confirmed.

The Chicago Cubs are owned by the Ricketts Family and led by children Tom Ricketts, Laura Ricketts and Todd Ricketts, who sit on the board of directors. Chelsea's need for a quick sale is underlined by the impact sanctions are already having on 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. "The Ricketts Family, owners of the Chicago Cubs, can confirm they will be leading an investment group that will make a formal bid for Chelsea Football Club this Friday," a spokesman said. The Ricketts family have teamed up with billionaire hedge fund tycoon Ken Griffin, the CEO of Citadel LLC, and declared their intention to enter the running. A consortium led by Thomas Ricketts will submit a formal offer for Chelsea, a spokesman has confirmed.

The defending UCL champions move one step closer to a repeat.

Then, in the 71st minute, Chelsea made the hosts pay for their misses as César Azpilicueta scored to put the result out of reach. After going down a goal thanks to Burak Yilmaz's 38th-minute penalty kick, Chelsea found the motivation needed to kick things into a higher gear. Chelsea moves on to the quarterfinals as the English club looks to repeat as Champions League titleholder.

Chelsea, beset by so much off-field turmoil, reminded everyone on Wednesday how ruthlessly efficient the club remains on the pitch.

There was, nevertheless, a degree of passivity on show here. Because this mentality is installed over years and years, over the decades, that's why it is possible that we can stay focused. Yet they kept winning.