Chelsea's new owners are expected to be in place by the beginning of May with the merchant bank behind the sale setting a deadline of April 11 for the four shortlisted groups to submit final offers. Raine Group aim to present the preferred bid to the government a week later, at which point the terms of the club's operating licence will be amended to allow a transfer of ownership.
From there the prospective buyer will need to satisfy the Premier League's owners' and directors' test with chief executive Richard Masters saying at the recent Financial Times Business of Summit event that the quickest the process has previously been completed is 10 days. Should the process move swiftly and without surprise issues, the deal could be completed in time for the team's penultimate home league game against Wolves on May 7.
The four groups on the shortlist are led by Todd Boehly, a part-owner of the LA Dodgers; Sir Martin Broughton, a former British Airways chairman; the Ricketts family, owners of the Chicago Cubs; and a group led by Atalanta and Boston Celtics part-owner Stephen Pagliuca.
