Most of the bids which are still in the mix as Chelsea’s potential new owners are pretty similar. Big American sports team owning consortiums with vast financial backing from hedge funds.
All these groups fulfil the needs that Raine Group, who are organising the sale, have: lots of money, and no geopolitical issues to gum up the works of a potential deal. Offers like the one from the Saud Media group seem to have fallen by the wayside because they could cause issues on a non-financial level.
So why has the bid from the Ricketts family advanced to the “preferred bidder” stage, despite being the only one that has generated a grass roots negativity campaign from Chelsea fans?
Perhaps we now know the reason: Tariq Panja of the New York Times reports that the Ricketts family have the closest relationship to Raine Group.
That seems to have got them this far – but will it get them any further? We will likely find out within just a few days.
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