Chelsea are desperate to complete the sale of the club before watching Antonio Rudiger become the latest star to walk away for nothing.
Barcelona have stepped up their bid to land the Germany international, who is out of contract at the end of the season.
Andreas Christensen is already set to join Barca — also on a free — with Chelsea blocked from securing new deals for any of their players due to sanctions placed on owner Roman Abramovich.
While the club’s hierarchy had already accepted Christensen was unlikely to commit his future to Stamford Bridge after claims he went back on a previously-agreed deal, there was growing hope that Rudiger would resist interest from Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain to sign a new long-term deal with the European champions.
Chelsea had received increasingly encouraging noises from the centre-back after offering to make him the highest-paid defender in their history.
Despite his refusal to make any commitments before being able to talk to other interested clubs from January, there was the belief that he would end the uncertainty over his future before the summer break.
But the sanctions placed on Abramovich — and the special licence issued to Chelsea to continue football operations — have massively impacted their attempts to secure an extension for Rudiger. Under the terms of the licence they are not allowed to buy or sell players or issue new contracts.
Standard Sport can reveal that clarity over contracts already offered was among the issues Chelsea sought to raise during discussions with the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, along with ticket sales and the budget for hosting and travelling to matches.
Rudiger’s agent and half-brother, Sahr Senesie, met Barcelona’s director of football Mateu Alemany and advisor Jordi Cruyff in Catalonia on Wednesday. While he is yet to make a decision over his future, Chelsea could be taken out of the picture because of the time it will take to complete the sale of the club.
Barca are confident Christensen is on his way to the Nou Camp, with Cesar Azpilicueta also in their sights. That would rob Chelsea of three key defenders and leave the new owners with a significant cost to meet almost immediately to replace them.
US merchant bank Raine Group has set a deadline of April 11 for final offers from the four shortlisted candidates and hopes to present its preferred bidder to the Government a week later.
It is anticipated the sale can be completed before the end of the season, but as long as Chelsea are required to operate under the restrictions of the licence, it hands the advantage to rival clubs trying to sign their out-of-contract players.
Meanwhile, the Ricketts family will seek further discussions with Chelsea fans when they hold face-to-face meetings with key figures at the club.
They — along with the other bidders, Sir Martin Broughton, Todd Boehly and Stephen Pagliuca, have now been offered the chance to speak to figures such as chairman Bruce Buck and director Marina Granovskaia before submitting their final offer.
Fans have used social media to oppose the Ricketts’ bid, relating to historic racist emails sent by the family’s patriarch, Joe. Ricketts Sr is not involved in the bid, but the club’s Supporters’ Trust last week raised doubts over the family’s ability to run an “inclusive, successful club.”
There are plans to stage a protest at tomorrow’s home game against Brentford. Fan group, We are the Shed, will erect a banner saying: “Our club, our choice. #NoToRicketts.” The family, however, remain determined to push through their bid.
