Boston Celtics owner Stephen Pagliuca has joined the race to buy Chelsea as four preferred bidders are made aware that they've made the next stage of the process.
The sale of the Blues is being partly handled by merchant bank Raine, who have compiled a shortlist of preferred buyers. Pagliuca is a late arrival to the party and is co-chair of private equity group Bain Capital. His personal fortune is around £3bn, which is much less than some of his competitors, but he could finance a bid for the Premier League side through Bain.
Pagliuca does hold a 55 per cent stake in Serie A outfit Atalanta however, which could be an issue given UEFA rules with both sides regulars in the Champions League recently. The Boston Celtics owner faces competition from a group led by compatriot Todd Boehly, who is part-owner of the LA Dodgers, and is also backed by Swiss partner Hansjorg Wyss and British businessman Jonathan Goldstein.
A consortium fronted by Sir Martin Broughton and Lord Coe, which is being heavily funded by Crystal Palace shareholders David Blitzer and Josh Harris is also looking to buy the club. The latter's involvement in the Eagles will likely prove problematic and may force them to step away from the Selhurst Park outfit, which could take some time.
The fourth potential buyer is the Ricketts Family, who have faced backlash from the Chelsea fans. A series of leaked emails from a member of the family, in which he refers to Muslims as the "enemy", has seen the supporters group question their suitability.
The consortium led by Boehly and the group fronted by Broughton and Coe are believed to be the two early frontrunners to buy the club from current owner Roman Abramovich, reports the Daily Mail. Sources believe that Boehly's offer is just south of £2.5bn while the Broughton and Coe bid is thought to be just below that.
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The Ricketts Family have teamed with partner Ken Griffin, who is worth around £20bn, and remain confident they could acquire the west London outfit despite opposition. "It is essential that the new owners of the club has the confidence of the supporter base and demonstrate an understanding of the values that we stand for,” a Chelsea Supporters Trust statement read.
“That is why the strength of feeling towards the Ricketts family bud from Chelsea supporters cannot and must not be ignored." They also added after discussions with the family: "Our concerns about their ability to run an inclusive, successful club on behalf of our diverse supporter base around the world have not yet been allayed."
Tom Ricketts has since spoken publicly and said in response: “We have listened to all of your feedback – including from the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust – and are grateful that the door is still open for us to demonstrate our commitment to working with fans to protect the club’s heritage. It is now up to us to redouble our efforts and clearly lay out a vision for our stewardship of the club with diversity and inclusion at its heart.”
