Post-Abramovich era edges closer as Chelsea sale shortlist takes shape

The battle to buy the London club has reportedly been whittled down to two bids

The shortlist of potential new owners to take over Chelsea FC from Roman Abramovich is beginning to take shape, with some bids already failing to make the cut. 

Abramovich put the Premier League outfit, which he has owned since 2003, up for sale on March 2 before the UK government froze his assets due to alleged links to Russian Vladimir Putin as a response to the military operation in Ukraine.

Despite this, a sale is still possible if Abramovich does not benefit from it in any way, and will be overseen by British authorities and New York-based merchant bank Raine Group as a deadline for bids to be put forward expired last Friday.

The Guardian reports that British property tycoon Nick Candy's bid, said to be "worth 'significantly' more than £2 billion ($2.6 billion)", will not make it through the next stage of the process, which has prompted him to hold talks with other interested parties about potentially teaming up amid backing from the Hana Financial Group in South Korea. 

Apparently though, the consortium led by part-Los Angeles Dodgers owner Todd Boehly and Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss, plus British businessman and Cain International CEO Jonathan Goldstein,  have been told that they have made the shortlist.

The group is understood to have been among the first to bid and have backing from Conservative peer Daniel Finkelstein and music industry PR executive Barabara Charone, who are both Chelsea season ticket holders.

But Candy, who claims his father was offered the chance to play for the club, did not wish to join them due to Goldstein being a fan of cross-city rivals Tottenham Hotspur. 

Todd Boehly has held talks with senior members at Chelsea about his vision, he’s in the driving seat. ( @Nathan_Gissing ) pic.twitter.com/aa3chqzc15

— Pys (@CFCPys) March 24, 2022

Joining Boehly and his partners on the shortlist is the group headed by ex-British Airways and Liverpool chairman Sir Martin Broughton, who has been endorsed by World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe. 

They are backed by Crystal Palace shareholders Josh Harris and David Blitzer, who owns NBA franchise the Philadelphia 76ers, but the pair will have to end their association with Palace if they are chosen to take over Chelsea.

Additionally, financial reserves will be offered by the Creative Arts Agency which has football agency Base and Evolution Media Capital in its portfolio.

The Chicago Cubs-owning Ricketts family still hold out hopes of making the shortlist amid a social media backlash caused by previous Islamophobic comments made by its patriarch Joe.

"Muslims are naturally my (our) enemy due to their deep antagonism and bias against non-Muslims," Ricketts wrote in a widely-circled email, with the Ricketts family since stressing that they reject "any form of hate in the strongest possible terms" amid potential protests from Muslim players such as Hakim Ziyech, Antonio Rudiger, N'Golo Kante and Malang Sarr if they buy the club.

The Saudi Media Group, though, who were said to have bid $3.5 billion, are already known to have been knocked back by Raine – which according to ESPN are whittling down the list of preferred bidders after receiving 20 to 30 offers.

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Raine will reportedly take their preferred offers to Chelsea and Abramovich for a number one choice to be selected, which will then undergo the Premier League's owners' and directors' test. 

Once that has been passed, the UK government will be asked to give their green light to a sale and provide a license for the club to officially end Abramovich's 21-trophy dynasty at the west London club. 

Simultaneously, however, ESPN says that sources told them Raine will identify two or three bids for consideration by Chelsea's hierarchy with Abramovich excluded from the process.

As per The Sun on Friday afternoon, the bids from Boehly and Broughton are now in a two-horse race to assume the reins at the reigning world and European champions.