Ricketts family’s bid for Chelsea ‘knocked back’ as two clear favourites emerge

An offer from the Ricketts family to buy Chelsea has been ‘knocked back’ amid fan backlash though the club looks increasingly likely to end up in the hands of US investors, according to reports.

After being sanctioned by the British government, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich hired US merchant bank Raine to oversee the sale of the west London club.

Interested parties had until Friday last week to submit their offers, with Raine contacting unsuccessful applicants this week before a looming announcement to confirm a final shortlist of prospective new owners.

A bid from Saudi Media Group has already been rejected, as has an offer from New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, though successful parties have yet to receive confirmation from Raine in a process that is becoming rather more drawn-out and messy than Chelsea would have wanted.

But, according to the Financial Times, two bids are almost certain to make the final cut: an investor group led by Todd Boehly – who owns the Los Angeles Dodgers – and a consortium led by US billionaires Josh Harris and David Blitzer.

That duo already own NBA team the Philadelphia 76ers and have a stake in Crystal Palace – which they would need to sell – while they have also recruited Sir Martin Broughton and Lord Sebastian Coe to be part of their bid.

An offer from the Ricketts family – who own the Chicago Cubs baseball team – had initially been expected to make Raine’s shortlist, but FT suggest that may no longer be such a certainty following a backlash from supporters which has severely weakened their chances.

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