On Wednesday evening Roman Abramovich confirmed the news all the rumours and speculation were suggesting - he is planning to sell Chelsea football club.
Names such as Todd Boehly, Hansjörg Wyss and even Conor McGregor have put themselves in the frame to become the Blues' new owner, though Abramovich has said he will not fast-track any sale.
Any prospective Chelsea buyer will be purchasing a club prepared to challenge at the very top, with promising youth development to match.
However, somewhat uniquely they might not be buying the name of the club or the ground they play at.
The club leases the pitch they play on at Stamford Bridge from a group called the Chelsea Pitch Owners, the only pitch in English football to be owned by 13,000 fans from around the world.
football.london takes a look at the group below:
Who are the Chelsea Pitch Owners?
Chelsea Pitch Owners PLC is the company that holds the freehold of Stamford Bridge stadium and the name Chelsea FC. It's a group made up over more than 23,000 individual shares with the purpose of protecting the future of Stamford Bridge while allowing supporters to own part of the football club.
Ken Bates set up the Chelsea Pitch Owners after the club entered into an agreement to take on the lease for Stamford Bridge, with an option to purchase the freehold for £5 million in 1992. The deal was restructured so that the pitch owners could acquire that option for the stadium site. Glenn Hoddle's want for a bigger pitch ensured the cost ended up at £10.2 million with the size of the Shed End reduced and West Stand increased.
However, by 1997, 7,580 shares had been sold, leaving the group well short of being able to buy the stadium site. As a result, the club ended up agreeing a deal to lend the Chelsea Pitch Owners the funds to purchase the freehold on soft terms, and in exchange they offered the club a 199-year lease with a nominal rent. The Chelsea Pitch Owners endeavour to repay the loan by selling shares.
John Terry is president of the group while Neil Barnett, Steve Clarke, Marcel Desailly, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Pat Nevin, David Webb and Dennis Wise are vice presidents. Shareholders also include Thomas Tuchel and Jose Mourinho alongside thousands of Blues fans.
The group's strapline is Our History, Our Future, Our Home.
What have the Chelsea Pitch Owners have said about Roman Abramovich leaving Chelsea?
"The CPO Board is sad to read the statement from Roman Abramovich confirming he is selling the club. Like all Chelsea fans we appreciate the enormous amount of investment he has made in our club which has contributed to so much success on the pitch. We also appreciate how big a football fan he really is. CPO looks forward to the next chapter and remains committed to its responsibility as owner of the freehold and ensuring that football continues to be played at Stamford Bridge."
What impact could they have on a takeover?
Speaking on the Price of Football podcast, football finance expert Kieran Maguire noted one of the major hurdles to overcome to persuade any interested party to purchase Chelsea.
He said: "There's also an ongoing issue with Stamford Bridge, it's not big enough, that's the simple statement. Old Trafford holds 74,000, the Glazers are potentially going to increase that to 80,000, Liverpool are at 54,000, they want to expand to 60,000, Manchester City want to expand to 60,000.
"We've got West Ham, Arsenal and Spurs in London at 60,000 plus. That's going to be an expensive project and also, it's going to take a long time to sort because finding a property space in London with the appropriate planning permission to build a 60,000-plus stadium is not going to be an easy task and it's going to involve perhaps dismantling existing properties, getting the right planning permission and then there's the issue of funding."
The stadium could obviously play a big role on the money and sustainability that any potential investor sees in becoming involved with Chelsea.
The Chelsea Pitch Owners have already seen their impact felt when Abramovich looked to purchase the group in 2011 as he hoped to look at stadium options away from Stamford Bridge in areas like Earls Court and Battersea. The Russian owner failed to get 75% of shareholders to agree, only persuading 61.6%. This despite Terry as president, speaking in favour of the move.
Staying at Stamford Bridge brings it's own problems with any redevelopment requiring the club to probably vacate the stadium for a period and to start from scratch.
How much does a share cost?
The Chelsea Pitch Owner's site suggests: "Shares start at £100 plus admin fee with premiums for framed and player signed shares".
