The sanctioning of Blues owner Roman Abramovich by the UK Government last Thursday saw the Russian-Israeli billionaire's UK assets frozen, including Chelsea, which stalled proceedings for a sale of the club. As Friday's deadline for bids looms, we run through the latest updates.
Monday 14 March 2022 22:00, UK
There have been around 200 expressions of interest to buy Chelsea, but any deal linked with Saudi Araba would be difficult to complete.
The sanctioning of Blues owner Roman Abramovich by the UK Government last Thursday saw the Russian-Israeli billionaire's UK assets frozen, including Chelsea, which stalled proceedings for a sale of the club.
As Friday's deadline for bids looms, we run through the latest updates...
Bids to buy Chelsea have to be in with Raine Group by Friday, but interested parties will have to show proof of funds before they are given access to financial details about Chelsea.
There have been about 200 expressions of interest but many are not believed to be serious contenders. The Saudi Media Group are reported to have made a bid but any deal linked to Saudi Arabia would be difficult to complete.
EU ambassadors met again in Brussels on Monday to discuss sanctioning more Russian businessmen connected to Vladimir Putin, with Abramovich one of 15 names under consideration. Unlike the UK, the EU has the power to seize as well as freeze assets.
One of the main sources of Abramovich's wealth has been deleted by the London Stock Exchange. Steelmaking and mining company Evraz is one of four Russia focused companies which are being removed from the exchange.
The Premier League and the Football Association have raised integrity concerns with the Government over the Chelsea ticket sale ban, the club have said.
The Government has placed the club under a special licence after sanctioning owner Abramovich over his ties to Russian President Putin. The licence is designed to prevent Chelsea - and by extension Abramovich - generating any new revenue, including from ticket sales.
Chelsea released a statement on Monday afternoon saying they were pressing the Government for the right to sell tickets, and that the club were holding daily meetings to get the licence amended.
The club also revealed the Premier League and the FA had raised concerns over the licence, which prevents Chelsea selling new tickets to home areas of the ground, to away supporters visiting Stamford Bridge or to Chelsea fans wishing to watch their team on the road.
"We are pressing the Government to allow our supporters to have access to tickets," the club statement said. "Meetings are taking place daily in search of a resolution. In addition, the Premier League and FA are also discussing with the Government the sporting integrity issues raised if they do not permit fans to attend.
"We are aware of the high level of frustration our supporters are facing over this issue, and we are doing everything we can to resolve it as soon as possible."
The owner of the Houston Rockets basketball team is considering making a bid for Chelsea, according to Sky News. Tilman Fertitta is among the parties who have been given access to financial records by investment bank Raine Group.
A spokeswoman for Mr Fertitta declined to comment. One person close to the process expressed scepticism that he would ultimately bid.
According to Forbes magazine, Fertitta is worth £4.8 billion and has interests in restaurants, hotels, casinos and property.
Todd Boehly / Hangjorg Wyss / Jonathan Goldstein
Leading consortium which has made offer in the region of £2 billion. LA Dodgers part-owner Boehly tried to buy Chelsea in a £2.2 billion deal three years ago with Jonathan Goldstein. They have now teamed up with US-based Swiss billionaire Wyss. Goldstein is a property investor and Tottenham fan.
Nick Candy
London-based luxury property developer and Chelsea supporter who is putting together a consortium to buy the club. Candy wants to have a fan representative on the board and he is willing to put money into the club as soon as possible to meet short-term financing needs.
Sir Martin Broughton
Former British Airways and Liverpool chairman is in talks about forming a consortium to buy the club. Lifelong Chelsea supporter who played a key role when Fenway Sports Group bought Liverpool in 2010.
Tilman Fertitta
Fertitta, whose wealth is estimated by Forbes magazine at $6.2 billion (£4.8 billion), is the owner of the Houston Rockets basketball. He is among the parties given access to a data room by the merchant bank overseeing the sale.
Thomas Ricketts
The chairman of the Chicago Cubs is looking for investment opportunities outside the US and was part of a consortium who tried to buy AC Milan in 2018.
Woody Johnson
New York Jets owner Woody Johnson is not commenting on reports he is considering making a bid. He is a billionaire philanthropist and heir of the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical company. Johnson was appointed US ambassador to the UK by Donald Trump in June 2017.
Josh Harris
Philadelphia 76ers owner Josh Harris already co-owns a minority stake in Crystal Palace which he would need to sell if he buys Chelsea.
RedBird Capital Partners
US private equity firm who last April paid £533m for an 11 per cent stake in Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group. Premier League rules would prevent them owning another club.
Vivek Ranadive
Computer software billionaire and owner of NBA side Sacramento Kings is interested in bidding for Chelsea.
Muhsin Bayrak
Turkish businessman Muhsin Bayrak said he was confident of agreeing a deal to buy Chelsea by the end of last week.
Conor McGregor
MMA fighter and Manchester United supporter who has claimed on social media that he was offering £1.5 billion for Chelsea. His management company Paradigm Sports are working with McGregor Sports & Entertainment and Empowerment IP Capital on a bid.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe
One of the UK's richest man has looked at Chelsea but believes Premier League clubs are overpriced. His Ineos Football Group now own Nice and FC Lausanne. Ruled out bidding earlier this month but as a Chelsea supporter there is an outside chance he may be tempted to reconsider.
Chelsea fans must stop the "completely inappropriate" chanting of Abramovich's name, the Prime Minister's spokesman has said.
Blues supporters again expressed their backing for Abramovich during Sunday's home match against Newcastle.
The billionaire has brought unprecedented success to Chelsea since he bought the club in 2003, but Boris Johnson's official spokesman insists supporters should not let that blind them to Abramovich's association to the man leading the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
"We recognise the strength of feeling around people's clubs but that does not excuse behaviour which is completely inappropriate at this time," he said.
"I think people can show passion and support for their club without resorting to that sort of stuff."
