Chicago Cubs owners The Ricketts Family confirm they will bid to buy Chelsea

Chicago Cubs owners The Ricketts Family have confirmed their bid to buy Chelsea.

Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts and his family will spearhead a consortium bid for the Stamford Bridge club, with major partnership funding understood to be in place.

New York merchant bank Raine Group has set a Friday deadline for bids, with Roman Abramovich’s 19-year tenure as Chelsea owner coming to a close.

“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,” said a spokesman for the Ricketts family.

“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.

“We look forward to sharing further details of our plans in due course.”

The Ricketts family bought the storied Major League Baseball team the Cubs in 2009.

The Wrigley Field outfit then went on to win the World Series in 2016, for their first title since 1908.

The Cubs’ victory parade brought 5million people together in Chicago, which was estimated as among the top 10 gatherings of people in global history.

Chelsea owner Abramovich put the Stamford Bridge club up for sale on March 2, in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The 55-year-old Russian-Israeli billionaire has owned Chelsea since 2003 and steered the Blues to 21 trophies in that 19-year stint.

The UK Government imposed sanctions on Abramovich last week however, claiming to have proven the Chelsea chief’s links to Russia’s president Vladimir Putin.

Abramovich has always denied links to Putin’s regime in Russia, but the Downing