Wait to discover preferred Chelsea bidders continues

Chelsea suitors' anxious wait to discover the shortlist of preferred bidders for the Premier League club looks set to drag past Tuesday night.

New York merchant bank the Raine Group will continue compiling the bids to whittle down a shortlist as tight as three offers.

The interested parties bidding for the Blues had initially expected to receive word on their candidacy on either Monday or Tuesday.

But the complex nature of the bids and sheer volume of information left Raine opting to take more time putting together that shortlist.

By close of business in the UK the various bidders for Chelsea had not received an update on the process.

And Raine could require several more days yet to finalise the list.

Roman Abramovich put Chelsea up for sale on 2 March, amid Russia’s continued invasion of Ukraine.

The Russian-Israeli billionaire was understood to have already received several big offers for Chelsea within days of putting the Blues officially up for sale.

And that brisk interest has continued unabated, despite the 55-year-old being sanctioned by the UK Government on 10 March.

Downing Street claimed to have proven Abramovich’s direct links to Vladimir Putin, freezing all his UK assets barring Chelsea, with the Blues operating under strict Government licence.

Abramovich cannot profit from Chelsea’ sale, but had already pledged to write off the club’s £1.5billion debt.

American-backed bids from Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly and Chicago Cubs owners the Ricketts family are among the front-runners to take over at Stamford Bridge.

Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts spoke to Chelsea and Fulham MP Greg Hands on Monday night, explaining long-held plans to meet Blues supporters groups in London.

The Ricketts family are understood to remain