Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is "confident" a deal can be struck with the club's preferred bidder as they look to complete the takeover before next month's deadline.
It is understood Tuchel was told last week that Todd Boehly's consortium had been handed preferred bidder status by the Raine Group, the New York bank overseeing Chelsea ’s sale. They had beaten a number of other bidders, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe's last-minute bid now also expected to prove unsuccessful.
This is after it was reported Boehly is expected to sign the first contract ahead of his prospective £4billion takeover of the club from Roman Abramovich. The West London club are in a race against time to find new owners before the expiration of the special operating licence imposed by the government since March 10 owing to Abramovich being sanctioned because of his alleged links to Russia president Vladimir Putin.
"I’ve been told last week that we have a preferred bidder and things are going forward," Tuchel revealed. "It’s a pretty important week for the club, but I was fully focused on the pitch. But after what I heard last week I’m confident.
"Clearance is always the best, because when the situation is clear you can take actions, make judgements, take actions. Otherwise you’re in a passive role, and this is what we are right now.
"We tried to make it the smallest issue possible, but of course it is always there. We prefer to have it in a clear and forward-thinking situation.
"This is what we’re hoping for, we know what we deal with, this is what the circumstances are in improving the team, and that we can act, rather than react, or even worse, do nothing."
Abramovich had already put the club up for sale on March 2, citing the attention on the club following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and a large-scale search for a new owner has been narrowed down to one choice by the Raine Group, who have been handling the multi-billion pound transaction.
The Premier League has carried out background checks on Boehly's consortium, which includes funding from Clearlake Capital, Jonathan Goldstein and Hansjorg Wyss. Despite the fact that the sale will amount to £4bn, there is confidence on all sides that a deal can be concluded quickly.
