Catalina Kim, head of South Korean company C&P Sports has announced her group has parted ways with Nick Candy, with the intention of joining another consortium for the Chelsea takeover.
Ahead of last Friday's deadline C&P Sports joined forces with Candy in a move that reportedly resulted in the bid by the property tycoon being raised to around the £2billion mark. However, it emerged on Thursday evening that several groups had been told they had not made the shortlist.
They included luxury property developer Candy, who claims to have been a Chelsea fan since four years old, and the Saudi Media group, who were first to go public with their rejection. As of Friday evening, three bids known to the public appear to have progressed onto the shortlist put together by Raine Group, the New York-based merchant bank overseeing the auction.
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They include consortia led by US billionaire Todd Boehly and Sir Martin Broughton, while despite the Chelsea Supporters' Trust announcing that they did not belive the Ricketts family had the ability to run an 'inclusive, successful club', the Chicago Cubs owners appear to have been added to that list.
Tom Ricketts offered a reply on Friday noting he was grateful the door was still open for his family to 'redouble' their efforts to provide a vision that included 'diversity and inclusion at its heart'.
Kim announced on Friday that her group was advised to join with another consortium following their failure to progress with Candy, although it remains to be seen who that could be.
She said in a statement: "We, the group of C&P Sports, Hana Financial and other strategic investors from South Korea, were suggested to join another Consortium. We thank Mr Nick Candy for our journey and wish him the best luck for his future."
