The race to buy Chelsea could be nearing an end after the deadline to submit bids for the Blues passed on Friday night, with as many as 10 separate bids reportedly made.
Roman Abramovich confirmed he was looking to sell the club over two weeks ago now and a number of candidates came forward with an interest in doing a deal. Saudi Media threw their hat in the ring as did separate consortiums led by billionaires Todd Boehly and Nick Candy.
But there remains plenty of speculation behind what the process of selling now entails. With Abramovich sanctioned by the government, no money can go to the Russian billionaire either from day-to-day activities or the sale itself. Any bids must now go through the government.
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One of the biggest questions remains who actually has final say over the sale. Due to their role in the deal, it had been speculated that it was now the government who decided who the club would go to.
However, it appears that although he stands to get no money from the deal itself, Abramovich still has final say over who succeeds him at Stamford Bridge. That is according to candidate Nick Candy, who submitted his bid as part of a consortium ahead of Friday's 9pm deadline.
"Although it’s a sanctioned club, Roman gets the decision on where it goes," he said in an interview with The Sun. "People might not like that, but it’s his club still - it’s sanctioned - but it’s his club.
"All I care about is first of all, whoever ends up with the club has got to put the fans front and centre and the fan-led review needs to be adopted in its best principle and that Chelsea has a chance to be the golden standard of that."
