Leading figures in two of the three groups that remain in the running to buy Chelsea from Roman Abramovich have become bidding rivals to take over the NFL's Denver Broncos.
Todd Boehly, who owns a significant stake in the LA Dodgers, and Josh Harris, the Crystal Palace minority owner with shares in a number of American teams, are among five groups to have progressed to the next stage of talks. They are expected to meet the team's management in early May, according to sportico.
A resolution on Chelsea's ownership is expected by that point.
The deadline for final offers passed last Thursday with three from four shortlisted consortiums making upgraded bids to Raine Group, the US merchant bank overseeing the auction on Abramovich’s behalf. Raine are currently evaluating the offers and once a preferred buyer is agreed on they will make an application to government for the terms of the club's operating licence to be amended and allow a sale to proceed.
The government's priority remains ensuring that Abramovich, who has been sanctioned because of his alleged relationship with Russia president Vladimir Putin, does not receive any money from a deal that may be worth more than £3billion. The money is expected to be dontated to charity or held in an escrow account.
The Ricketts family, who had faced criticism from the Premier League club's supporters in relation to historic comments made by the patriarch Joe, withdrew their interest citing “certain issues” and “unusual dynamics” around the sale.
“The group has decided, after careful consideration, not to submit a final bid for Chelsea FC,” a Ricketts statement said on Friday. “In the process of finalising the proposal, it became increasingly clear that certain issues could not be addressed given the unusual dynamics around the sales process. We have great admiration for Chelsea and its fans and we wish the new owners well.”
Boehly is the head of a group comprising the Swiss philanthropist Hansjorg Wyss, California-based investment firm Clearlake Capital and London-based property developer Jonathan Goldstein. They have added Tory peer Daniel Finkelstein and former chancellor George Osborne to advisory roles.
Harris and his business partner David Blitzer are part of a group being led by Sir Martin Broughton, a former chairman of Liverpool and British Airways, and backed by Lord Seb Coe, the head of World Athletics. But Harris and Blitzer will need to divest their shares, understood to be between 20-25%, in Crystal Palace for a deal to go through.
The third group is being led by Stephen Pagliuca, the biggest shareholder in Serie A club Atalanta. The 67-year-old would need to reduce his 47% stake in the Italian side should he take over at Stamford Bridge.
Pagliuca, who also owns a share of the Boston Celtics, has been less visible than the Boehly and Broughton groups but last week released a statement naming eight other backers including former Disney chief Bob Iger. His bid has the backing of the True Blues Consortium, a group co-founded by former Chelsea captain John Terry that wants to buy a 10 per cent stake in the club.
