Thomas Tuchel has been assured that Chelsea's Champions League ambitions will persist, should Sir Jim Ratcliffe's bid to buy the west London club prove successful. On Friday, the Ineos owner confirmed he made a late £4billion bid to buy the Blues.
Consortiums led by Todd Boehly, Stephen Pagliuca and Sir Martin Broughton looked set to be the only options on the table for Chelsea and the Raine Group - the bank advising the club on the takeover - but that no longer seems to be the case.
The move came just a day after Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Nadine Dorries sent a warning to the Blues to speed up the process, saying that they were on borrowed time. Speaking on the BBC's Newscast podcast, she said: "Chelsea is very much on borrowed time at the moment. There is a very short window left for that sale to take place. It has to happen soon."
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Given the due diligence the rest of the candidates have undergone throughout the process, Ratcliffe's bid could potentially slow the process if Roman Abramovich and the club were to choose the latest offer. Ensuring the club goes into the right hands has seemingly been a priority throughout the process, and making a hurried decision might appear unlikely.
The group led by Ratcliffe remain confident in their bid, though a problem has emerged which could prove decisive in the decision as to who completes the takeover. Ratcliffe currently owns top-flight French outfit OGC Nice — a club on the brinks of Champions League qualification in Ligue 1.
However, as pointed out by football.london's chief Chelsea correspondent Adam Newson, under UEFA multi-club regulations Chelsea and Nice wouldn't both be able to play in the Champions League in the same season under the same ownership.
But, despite the concern, Nice boss Christophe Galtier has reassured Chelsea that Ratcliffe's potential takeover of the west London club wouldn't be a problem. Speaking to France Bleu, as quoted by GFFN, Galtier offered the Blues his support.
"I was on my bike when I heard about his offer," the Nice boss said. "I know that it doesn’t at all call into question Ineos' determination to grow Nice. Jim has the means to buy Chelsea, good for him. I’ve sent him a message."
