As many as 200 groups are interested in buying Chelsea ahead of Friday’s deadline for takeover bids.
Interested parties have until Friday to finalise their bids for the Premier League side with Chelsea fearful the club could enter administration if there is no swift change of ownership, following the government sanctions imposed on Russian owner Roman Abramovich.
According to The Guardian, The Raine Group, the US bank overseeing the sale, are hopeful a deal could go through before the end of this month and are ‘conscious of the need to move quickly.’
British property tycoon Nick Candy has been strongly linked with a takeover bid and has been finalising a consortium, having spoken to several American investors in a bid to raise funds for his bid.
Candy, a lifelong Chelsea supporter, was in attendance for the club’s 1-0 win over Newcastle at the weekend and has said he will have no problem raising the necessary funds to complete a deal.
There is also several interested parties from the USA, including the owner of the NFL’s New York Jets, Woody Johnson, and the Ricketts family, who own the MLB’s Chicago Cubs, while there is interest from Saudi Arabia.
Chelsea are also currently in discussions with the government over an amendment to their current operating licence, with fans currently not permitted to buy tickets with only season-ticket holders allowed to attend games at present.
Chelsea face Middlesbrough in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday, before returning to Premier League action against Brentford on April 2.
