The
last four bidders for Chelsea have been given extra time to table final
offers for the club as the most hotly contested sports auction in history
looks set to be extended.
According to Sky News' Mark Kleinman, the remaining consortia were informed
on Thursday by the advisers handling the sale they must now submit binding
takeover proposals in the back half of next week.
The move, which will prolong the next stage of the auction by a small number
of days, has emerged less than 24 hours after Chelsea lost the Champions
League quarter-final first leg 3-1 against Real Madrid, leaving last
season's winners on the brink of exiting the competition.
A source close to one bidder said they had been told the final bid deadline
had been extended until later in the week in order to give them a full and
fair opportunity to adequately finalise the details of their proposals.
The source added Raine Group, the US merchant bank handling the sale, had
also informed them it is now considering awaiting clearance from the Premier
League for all four consortia before presenting a preferred bidder to the
government.
Bids under scrutiny from the Premier
League
Scrutiny of the four bids by English football's top flight has already got
underway after the remaining consortia submitted details of their key
investors to Raine late last week.
The Premier League is expected to take several weeks to evaluate those
involved in the bids - who include a string of US billionaires and pillars
of the British corporate establishment - and its work to approve all four of
the bidders means the process may need to be extended.
One of the bidders, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they now
anticipated a final recommendation would be made to ministers later than the
original target date of the week beginning April 18, with the deal now
likely to be completed in May.
One of the bidders, who also spoke on condition of anonymity on Thursday,
welcomed the additional time to finalise their bid given the complexity of
the process taking place to buy the Blues.
Who is in the running to buy Chelsea?
The quartet of bidders comprise:
- A consortium led by Sir Martin Broughton, the former Liverpool and British
Airways chairman
- Another consortium is headed by Todd Boehly, the LA Dodgers part-owner;
- Steve Pagliuca, owner of the Boston Celtics and a big stake in Atalanta,
the Serie A side
- And finally, the Chicago Cubs-owning Ricketts family, who have teamed up
with Cleveland Cavaliers-owner Dan Gilbert and the hedge fund tycoon Ken
Griffin.
The four remaining bidders have been holding meetings in London this week
with Chelsea board members, staff and Raine as they vie to end Roman
Abramovich's 19-year tenure at Stamford Bridge.
They have been told they must provide legal undertakings that they will
guarantee at least £1bn of investment in the club's infrastructure if they
acquire it in the coming weeks.
The sale process has been complicated by the sanctions against Abramovich
and the frenzy of interest in buying last season's Champions League winners.
Challenges for the Ricketts-led bid
Earlier this week, the consortium led by the Ricketts family outlined a
series of commitments to Chelsea fans, including a vow never to participate
in a revived European Super League project.
Other bidders are understood to have submitted details of commitments to the
CST but have chosen not to make them public so far.
The Ricketts-led bid for Chelsea has faced challenges in recent weeks
because of a backlash over historical comments made by a family member who
is not involved in the offer.
On Thursday, Laura Ricketts made a public statement pledging Chelsea would
"strive to be champions on and off the field" if the family-led group won
the auction.
Fan-led group led by Terry in talks with
two bidders
Sky News also revealed last week the fan-led group co-founded by the former
Chelsea captain John Terry was in "positive" talks with two of the
shortlisted bidders about acquiring a 10 per cent stake.
Between them, the final bidders also either control or own stakes in US
teams including the Boston Celtics, the Cubs, the LA Dodgers, the
Philadelphia 76ers and the Sacramento Kings.
By the standards of conventional takeover processes, the Chelsea auction has
moved at breakneck speed, with executives at other major investment banks
suggesting such a complex sale would typically have taken at least six
months.
Prior to being sanctioned, Abramovich had said he intended to write off a
£1.5bn loan to the club and hand the net proceeds from the sale to a new
charity that he would set up to benefit the victims of the war in Ukraine.
Rapid sale seen as essential for Chelsea
A rapid sale is seen as essential if Chelsea is to avert the uncertainty
that would trigger the break-up of one of the top flight's most valuable
playing squads.
The current FIFA Club World Cup winners have been thrown into disarray by
Russia's war on Ukraine, with Abramovich initially proposing to place the
club in the care of its foundation and then formally putting it up for sale.
Abramovich had initially slapped a £3bn price tag on the club, with the net
proceeds being donated to a charitable foundation set up to benefit the
victims of the war in Ukraine.
As well as government consent in the form of a special licence, Chelsea's
new owners will also require the approval of the Premier League under its
fit and proper ownership test.
None of the bidders contacted by Sky News nor Raine would comment on the
amended timetable.
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