The lengthy saga that is Chelsea's pursuit of new owners appears to be reaching its finale as all four of the final bidders have been informed they must submit their final proposals by the end of this week.
From that point onwards, American investment bank the Raine Group will mull over all of the proposals that have been submitted and determine who is the most suitable candidate to take the Blues forward as they adjust to life without previous owner Roman Abramovich. The Russian oligarch will receive no money made from the sale as a result of the sanctions placed on by him the UK government due to his ties with Vladimir Putin.
The last month or so has seen plenty of questions raised over Chelsea's future given the uncertainty that shrouds them - particularly at boardroom level. The future of director Marina Granovskaia has been up in the air, with some expecting her to also depart the club given her close working relationship with Abramovich.
The Russian-Canadian businesswoman has been part of the Blues hierarchy for more than 10 years and has played a vital role in securing some big-name transfers in the process. Granovskaia also plays an active part in negotiating the contracts of players already at the club.
Her ability to broker mega-money moves has helped earn Granovskaia a reputation within the game as a fierce negotiator and any exit would be regarded as a huge loss on Chelsea's part, particularly with a huge transfer window coming up at the end of the current campaign.
Thankfully from a Blues perspective, that sentiment is one that all four of the potential new owners agree with and therefore all four consortiums have expressed their desire at keeping the 47-year-old on board. Though it must be said that this does not guarantee her staying in West London.
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According to the Athletic, whichever group is successful in their efforts to become the new owners of Chelsea will offer Granovskaia an impressive offer to continue in her current role at overseeing the day-to-day running of things for the Blues from a business perspective.
Granovskaia played a vital role in Chelsea securing their sponsorship deal with Nike which will see the club pocket around £60m per year until 2032. There were rumours that deal was in jeopardy in the wake of Abramovich's sanctions, but Nike have remained partners of the Blues.
Not one of the four bidders are thought to have received any kind of indication from Granovskaia that she has any intention of leaving or staying beyond this season, adding further confusion to the mix. That is expected to remain the case until new owners are confirmed.
