Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck has pulled out of a scheduled discussion at the Financial Times' Business of Football Summit this afternoon (Thursday) as the club braces itself for a change of ownership.
Buck was expected to speak alongside Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish in a 40-minute talk entitled 'View From The Top: What will be the shape of the recovery?'
But he was removed off the agenda overnight, meaning Parish will now discuss the impacts of the pandemic on football clubs alongside Jean-Paul Petranca of the Boston Consultancy Group and a Financial Times moderator.
Newcastle United's Amanda Staveley and Premier League chief executive Richard Masters will also be holding sessions at the London event.
Chelsea's owner Roman Abramovich last night confirmed that he had put the club up for sale. The 55-year-old Russian billionaire is aiming to complete a deal quickly and has enlisted the Raine Group, a US firm, to help find a new buyer.
A consortium featuring Todd Boehly, the LA Dodgers part-owner, and Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss are the frontrunners. Wyss gave an interview in Switzerland in which he claimed the club was offered to him but the asking price remains too high.
It was an unusual move as the transfer of club ownership is usually carried out in secrecy, with details only being made public at the last minute.
Abramovich has also said that he will not seek repayment for the £1.5billion in loans he has given the club since 2003 and will donate the "net proceeds" of the sale to a charity foundation set up for those who have been affected by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
