Chelsea 27 days away from potential Premier League expulsion as sale thrown into doubt

In the words of minister Nadine Dorries, the clock is ticking for Chelsea Football Club.

Just when it looked like the saga was progressing towards a transfer of ownership, with the consortium led by Todd Boehly entering exclusive talks to seal a record-breaking deal, it emerged that sanctioned incumbent Roman Abramovich was considering a U-turn on his promise to write off the club's £1.6bn debt.

There is concern at Westminster around that development, brought up during meetings last week, not least because the government cannot be seen to make exceptions for someone they described as having strong links to Russian president Vladimir Putin eight weeks ago.

By granting the club a special operating licence when the 55-year-old was sanctioned on March 10, they have already offered Chelsea more leeway than any other business that has fallen under the sprawling umbrella of widespread Russian sanctions. That licence expires 27 days from now, on May 31, and while it could be extended, the words of Dorries and whispers from a number of people behind the scenes indicate little appetite to do so.

Eight days after that the Premier League has scheduled a meeting to confirm details for next season. Should a deal not be completed by then, and the club is unlicensed, it is not outlandish to consider the potential of an expulsion.

At the same time rivals want - perhaps need - Chelsea there because they are such a big name and the league’s success is entirely predicated upon money. While there is little desire to offer Chelsea any more exceptions from the government, there is zero desire from the Premier League for one of its biggest teams to go to the wall.

Meanwhile, the Boehly group continues to push on with its attempts to buy