Ricketts family are third bidders to make shortlist to buy Chelsea

The Ricketts family have joined Martin Broughton and Todd Boehly on the shortlist to buy Chelsea, the PA news agency understands.

Chicago Cubs owners the Ricketts family were understood to have been informed by merchant bank the Raine Group early on Friday afternoon in New York time.

LA Dodgers part-owner Boehly, former Liverpool chairman Broughton and the Cubs-owning Ricketts now lead the race to take charge at Stamford Bridge.

Raine spent Thursday informing a host of unsuccessful bidders they were out of the auction before starting the process of confirming the shortlist in the race to buy the Blues.

The New York bank will dig into further details of remaining submissions once the shortlist is rubber-stamped.

US magnate Boehly and his Eldridge Industries firm has backing from Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss and respected British business leader Jonathan Goldstein.

Former British Airways chairman Broughton has drafted in sports business and politics heavyweight Lord Sebastian Coe, adding genuine clout to his consortium.

Wall Street investment banker Michael Klein has added a major financial edge, with a number of other backers also involved.

The Cubs-owning Ricketts family boast the financial muscle of US hedge fund supremo Ken Griffin, believing their experience of renovating storied stadium Wrigley Field offers an edge in their candidacy given Stamford Bridge’s required rebuild.

However, the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust says it still has concerns about the ability of the family to run “an inclusive, successful club”.

The CST’s apprehension stems from family patriarch Joe Ricketts, who is not involved in the bid to buy the Blues, being accused of Islamophobia in 2019, after a string of emails were leaked.

The family, who