Chelsea: Who are the potential bidders before Friday's sale deadline

With the Friday deadline for the sale of Roman Abramovich's Chelsea approaching, BBC Sport recaps who the major interested parties are so far.

The official deadline to purchase the west London Premier League club is 17:00 GMT on Friday 18 March, although some final bids are likely to be submitted into the weekend as known parties are to ask for more time.

There are still more than 20 interested parties, but the number of confirmed bids is likely to be 10-15.

Chelsea — with the American investment firm Raine Group handling the sale — will make the final decision from a shortlist next week, with the preferred bidder also requiring government approval. Any sale will also need to be signed off by the Premier League's owners and directors test — known as the 'fit and proper person's test'.

The asking price for the reigning Champions League and Club World Cup champions is said to be around £3bn — although that has been described as «excessive» by some.

Russian billionaire Abramovich's initial attempt to sell Chelsea was halted after he was sanctioned by the UK government following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with Abramovich understood to have strong ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003 for £140m but in his statement announcing his intention to sell he said his ownership had «never been about business nor money, but about pure passion for the game and club».

He values the club at £3bn and has loaned the club £1.5bn — but said he will not ask for any loans to be repaid. Abramovich has also said proceeds of the sale would be donated to war victims.

The funds from the sale could go to a charitable organisation or into a frozen account.

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has said the £3bn price