Sir Martin Broughton has been identified as the first-choice backup to buy Chelsea if Todd Boehly's attempts to purchase the Blues fall through. The LA Dodgers minority owner has been made the preferred bidder by Raine Group and has entered an exclusive negotiation period ahead of finalising a deal.
Boehly is said to be hopeful of signing the first sale agreement by Friday, May 6 while Roman Abramovich is set to approach the government for approval of the deal. The Russian is currently under sanction meaning that no money from the sale can go to him but he does still have a say over who succeeds him at Stamford Bridge.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe arrived with a late bid for the Blues last week with a £4billion offer tabled and there were rumours that his presence could derail the process to date. Boehly, along with Broughton and Steve Pagliuca have gone through rigorous stages of questioning and bidding to reach the current stage so it was unlikely Ratcliffe's bid would stand a chance.
