Roman Abramovich, the club’s present owner, and the Chelsea board will make the final decision on the preferred bidder, and will take into account recommendations from the Raine Group merchant bank which is handling the sale. It is understood that they will not necessarily choose the highest bid as they will prioritise the future guardianship of the club.
The preferred bid is expected to be confirmed next week and insiders suggest that the winning bid could be as much as £2.75 billion. The government must sign off on the sale so that Abramovich cannot profit from the proceeds.