Chelsea narrowed the shortlist to four bidders

Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the British government due to his alleged links with Russian President Vladamir Putin on March 10, 2022, following Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine. Therefore, the Russian-Israeli billionaire decided to put Chelsea up for sale on March 2, 2022.

The four shortlisted candidates to buy the Premier League giants Chelsea are:

Stephen Pagliuca

Stephen Pagliuca is the co-owner of the Boston Celtics and co-chairman of Bain Capital. The 67-year-old billionaire is also the majority shareholder of the Italian club Atlanta.

Ricketts Family

The Ricketts family owns the majority of the Chicago Club's baseball team. They also have the support of the hedge fund manager cum CEO of Citadel LLC. Given Stamford Bridge’s requirement to rebuild, the family has an edge owing to their prior experience of renovating Wrigley Field stadium.

Sir Martin Broughton

Martin Broughton is the former chairman of British Airways and Premier League club, Liverpool. He has the backing of the sports business tycoon British MP Lord Sebastian Coe, Wall Street investment banker Michael Klein alongside Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment.

Todd Boehly

Todd Boehly is an American businessman who is the co-founder and CEO of Eldridge Industries. He owns a 20%stake in the Los Angeles Dodgers and co-owns 27% of the Los Angeles Lakers, along with Mark Walter. Todd Boehly has the support of British businessman Jonathan Goldstein and Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss.

If Sir Martin Broughton wins the bidding war, his partners Harris and Blitzer would have to sell their stakes in Crystal Palace. They would not have to worry about looking for a buyer as the club's other investor, US-based investor John Textor, plans to increase his current 40% stake.

The Chelsea Supporters Trust, the fan group of Chelsea, has expressed their apprehension about the Ricketts family’s ability to run an inclusive club due to allegations of Islamophobia against the family patriarch Joe Ricketts. The family have expressed their distaste for any kind of racism and hatred.

The Chelsea Supporters Trust said in a statement, "It is essential that the new owners of the club have the confidence of the supporter base and demonstrate an understanding of the values that we stand for."

Chelsea is currently operating under a strict government license. Eventually, the UK government would have to approve a new license to authorise Chelsea’s sale. The current owner, Roman Abramovich, will not be able to receive the profits from the sale due to government sanctions. The money will either be frozen or distributed to groups working towards helping the victims of war in Ukraine. Abramovich has pledged to nullify Chelsea’s USD 1.97 billion debt to him.

The club is seeking a quick sale and if all goes well, the process will be completed by the end of April.