Wait to discover preferred Chelsea bidders goes on

Chelsea suitors’ anxious wait to discover the shortlist of preferred bidders for the Premier League club looked 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, the PA news agency understands.

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 March 2nd, 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 March 10th.

Useful call with Tom Ricketts, family owner of the Chicago Cubs, bidding for Chelsea FC. runs a heritage sport stadium. brought success to the Cubs. coming to London to meet @ChelseaSTrust and @pitchowners. understands community. Am happy to meet other bidders. pic.twitter.com/sa2P8aOt2B

— Greg Hands (@GregHands) March 21, 2022

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 £1.5 billion