Hansjorg Wyss, Todd Boehly and Jonathan Goldstein
Wyss has been widely viewed as a front-runner from the outset as he was the man who first alerted the world to the fact that Abramovich was actively looking to sell Chelsea in a remarkable interview with Swiss newspaper Blick.
The 86-year-old has since teamed up with American businessman Boehly, who had a £2.2bn offer rejected by Abramovich three years ago, and Londoner Goldstein, whose American investment company Cain Hoy failed in an attempt to buy Tottenham eight years ago.
The trio have secured funding for a bid close to £2.5bn, but it is unlikely to be the highest offer. The consortium followed the example of other bidders by adding two well-known Chelsea fans to their team, with American PR executive Barbara Charone and British journalist Daniel Finkelstein endorsing their bid.
Charone is a heavyweight within the music industry, having worked with the likes of Madonna, Rod Stewart and Depeche Mode, and has been a Chelsea season-ticket holder since 1981. Finkelstein is also a lifelong Chelsea fan who became a member of the House of Lords in 2013.
Woody Johnson
The New York Jets owner’s mooted £2billion bid has attracted some scepticism due to his links to Donald Trump, but his advisers have pointed out that his existing connections to the UK could be a source of strength.
The 74-year-old heir to the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical fortune served as US Ambassador to the UK under Trump between 2017 and 2021, while his American football franchise have been eagerly promoting themselves in Europe for some time.
Johnson is planning to cement a strong relationship between the two clubs if his bid for Chelsea is successful. Despite stepping away from the day-to-day running of the Jets while an ambassador, Johnson would be directly involved if he buys Chelsea.
Lord Coe and Sir Martin Broughton
Former British Airways chairman Broughton confirmed his intention to bid for Chelsea last weekend without revealing the source of funds, with Lord Coe a surprise addition to his team this week. Broughton had a brief spell as chairman of Liverpool in 2010 when he was brought to Anfield to facilitate the sale of the club to Fenway Sports Group.
Lord Coe is a Chelsea fan with links to the current regime, giving advice as a consultant to the club. He enjoys a particularly close relationship with Blues chairman Bruce Buck, which could influence Roman Abramovich, and also boasts ties with the Government after serving first as a Conservative MP and later as a member of the House of Lords.
Tom Ricketts and Ken Griffin
Since buying the Chicago Cubs for £650million 13 years ago, the Ricketts family, including Tom, have quadrupled the value of the baseball franchise and ended a 108-year wait for a World Series title. But their investment has been prudent and in order to ensure profitability they have not splashed the cash in the manner of Abramovich at Chelsea.
Given this approach, the decision to team up with hedge fund manager Ken Griffin could prove crucial to their chances of success — the Republican Party donor’s current fortune is estimated to be £21bn.
Saudi Media Group
The Saudi bid of £2.7bn lodged at the start of the week was one of the first to go in and is expected to be the biggest. SMG are owned by Mohamed Alkhereiji, who claims to have developed a love for Chelsea while working as an analyst for Deutsche Bank in London after studying in the capital.
Despite being the biggest media company in Saudi Arabia with annual revenues of £770million, it is clear they will require significant backing from elsewhere. The sources of that funding are unclear, although it has been claimed on the behalf that they would not benefit from any state investment.
The nature of their funding is likely to be the key to their bid given the controversy that has surrounded the Public Investment Fund’s purchase of Newcastle last year, and the potential for conflicts of interest.
The Premier League would take a close interest if SMG emerge as preferred bidders, which could derail the timetable of the takeover given they took 17 weeks to sign off on the Newcastle sale — a potential stumbling block.
Aethel Partners
The private equity firm became the latest potential investors to declare their hand, lodging a £2bn bid with The Raine Group along with a business plan designed to appeal to Chelsea supporters.
In addition to pledging £50m immediately to help the club cope with their short-term cash-flow problems, they also emphasised their determination to keep hold of manager Thomas Tuchel — who amid the uncertainty surrounding the club’s future has attracted strong interest from Manchester United — as well as a long-term plan to redevelop Stamford Bridge on its existing site.
Chelsea’s planning permission for the rebuild planned by Abramovich has elapsed, but all the potential buyers recognise that a new stadium is essential if the club is to be run as a profitable business, which they have not managed for decades. Aethel have an HQ in London and were founded in 2014 by Portuguese businessman Ricardo Santos Silva and American Aba Schubert.
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