Prospective Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is in attendance at Stamford Bridge ahead of the Blues' Champions League quarter-final clash against Real Madrid. The American billionaire, who is leading a consortium interested in purchasing the west London club, has been pictured walking through Britannia Gate with his tickets in hand.
The 46-year-old's appearance comes just hours after the Ricketts' consortium, who were also looking to take Chelsea off of Roman Abramovich's hands, controversially flew back to the United States in time for the opening day of the Chicago Cubs' season, as per The Athletic. Tom and Laura Ricketts met the Blues hierarchy on Tuesday as part of their bid to buy the club.
Boehly's consortium is one of four bids still in the running to purchase Chelsea from the Russian billionaire, along with Steve Pagliuca, the Ricketts family and a separate consortium led by Sir Martin Broughton. Final bids are due to be submitted by April 11, with the successful party presented for government approval week commencing April 18.
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Boehly currently owns 20% of the LA Dodgers and has emerged as a fan favourite prospective owner. His appearance at Stamford Bridge just a day after a rival consortium — who were by no means popular anyway — strengthens his hand in the race to win Chelsea fans' hearts.
Barbara Charone, a public relations expert involved in Boehly's bid, has already affirmed the American's faith in Thomas Tuchel in an interview with The Telegraph. The Chelsea boss, who is a fan favourite among the fans, has been an excellent figure for the club since taking over in January last year.
"I'm obviously really excited to be a part of the future if this is successful," Charone said. "I think we're in an unbelievable place. We have a manager that's been through a lot and comes out just like a saint. Not just as a football coach, but more importantly, I think, as a person.
"It's just the way he's handled everything. Even when being asked about the war, he's just unbelievable, and I hope he's a manager for a long time."
