Chelsea sale: Shortlist for new owner cut down to final four

The buying process is reaching its final stages

Posted Sunday, March 27, 2022 by Marca.com

The frontrunners to buy Chelsea Football Club after Roman Abramovich was exiled from the United Kingdom are stepping up their bids, as the selling process is drawing towards a close.

US tycoon Todd Boehly and a consortium headed by Sebastian Coe and Sir Martin Broughton have been selected for a shortlist of potential new owners.

The Ricketts family, who own MLB baseball side the Chicago Cubs, are also said to be on the list, and the fourth name which has made it to the next stage of the buying process is Boston Celtics owner Stephen Pagliuca.

Who wants to buy Chelsea?

LA dodgers executive Boehly and the consortium fronted by Coe and Broughton are thought to be the favourites at the moment, with Boehly apparently bidding just under 2.5 billion pounds and Coe and Broughton coming in with an offer just below that.

The Ricketts family are certain to think they stand a good chance of winning the race to buy the Stamford Bridge club, despite backlash from many supporters after anti-Muslim emails from Joe Rickett in 2012 were discovered.

Pagliuca's personal fortune is believed to be around three billion pounds, but his bid will be aided by equity group Bain Capital, of which he is co-chairman. UEFA ruling may have something to say about his offer, however, as he owns a 55 percent in Italian side Atalanta.

The consortiums will now attempt to increase their initial bids as they move into the next stage of the process, essentially turning this into an auction to buy the Premier League side.