A Swiss-American consortium led by Hansjorg Wyss and Todd Boehly has made a formal bid to take over Chelsea, GOAL can confirm.
Roman Abramovich has put the Londoners up for sale after almost two decades in charge, amid the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
The current owner is looking to sell as soon as possible, with a Saudi-backed group and others also in the running.
Who is behind the new bidders?
Businessmen Wyss and Boehly lead the consortium which is looking to buy Chelsea from Abramovich.
Wyss, a Swiss national, revealed his interest in the club in an interview with Blick last week.
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"Abramovich is one of Putin's closest advisers and friends. Like all other oligarchs, he is also in a panic. Abramovich is trying to sell all his villas in England. He also wants to get rid of Chelsea quickly. I and three other people received an offer on Tuesday to buy Chelsea from Abramovich," he explained.
"I have to wait four to five days now. Abramovich is currently asking far too much. You know, Chelsea owe him £2 billion. But Chelsea has no money. Means: Those who buy Chelsea should compensate Abramovich.
"As of today, we don't know the exact selling price. I can well imagine starting at Chelsea with partners. But I have to examine the general conditions first. But what I can already say: I'm definitely not doing something like this alone. If I buy Chelsea, then with a consortium consisting of six to seven investors."
Alongside Wyss is Boehly, who also has an interest in Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers and is the founder and CEO of Eldridge Industries in his native United States.
When could a deal be struck?
As mentioned above, both Abramovich and the Premier League are keen to see a deal tied up as soon as possible.
“The sooner the sale process completes, the sooner everyone has certainty," Premier League chairman Richard Masters affirmed to Masters the Financial Times Business of Football Summit recently.
“The quickest any deal has taken is 10 days. That’s not to say that deal can’t be beaten but it would normally take a number of weeks and it all depends on the complexity of the deal.
"Provided the information is easily accessible, easily understandable and were given all the right answers it can be done relatively quickly. If the owner is sanctioned by the UK, I don’t think it will work.”
As well as the Saudi consortium and Wyss and Boehly, Turkish businessman Muhsin Bayrak has also been linked with a takeover, but the Swiss-American bid is believed be likeliest to prosper at this stage.
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