Boehly consortium to be named preferred bidder to buy Chelsea


Todd Boehly's consortium is to be named as the preferred bidder to buy Chelsea.

It emerged on Friday Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Britain's richest man, had tabled a last-minute £4.25billion bid to buy the west London club.

But it would appear the group headed by LA Dodgers part-owner Boehly - which includes backing from Clearlake Capital, a US investment firm - is in the ascendancy with regard to the takeover.

Chelsea have told the consortium led by Stephen Pagliuca, part-owner of the NBA's Boston Celtics and Serie A's Atalanta, it is not the preferred bidder.

This latest development is a blow to the other remaining group left in the bidding, led by Sir Martin Broughton, the former Liverpool and British Airways chairman, which includes the billionaire Crystal Palace shareholders Dave Blitzer and Josh Harris.

Chelsea hope to have a new owner in place by the end of May.

Once the Raine Group selects a preferred bidder, the government must then grant a new licence to allow the sale to be completed

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