Roman Abramovich could be closing in on the sale of Chelsea after a consortium led by Swiss and American businessmen was completed on Thursday.
The Russian billionaire officially put the club on the market on Wednesday night, just an hour before the Blues took on Luton in the FA Cup fifth round.
The move comes as pressure continues to be put on the UK government to sanction oligarchs with ties to Vladimir Putin amid Russia's continued invasion of Ukraine.
In his statement, Abramovich insisted that he will not rush through a sale for the sake of it but reports suggest that he is eager to sort a deal as soon as possible.
Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss first spoke on the potential of buying Chelsea, but insisted that it is not a venture he would take on alone, with Abramovich said to be demanding upwards of £3billion for the club.
Wyss was subsequently joined by American billionaire Todd Boehly, who currently has a major stake in Major League Baseball side the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Boehly previously held an interest in purchasing the club, even carrying out due diligence on a deal back in 2019, only for Abramovich to ultimately reject his advances.
The landscape has changed significantly since, however, and latest reports indicate that a deal could be in the offing with Boehly and Wyss completing their consortium - and talks are taking place ahead of a sale.
That is according to reports from Blick reporter Nicola Imfeld, who took to Twitter to report: "I’m told that the American-Swiss consortium with Todd Boehly and Hansjorg Wyss have found other partners.
"The team is complete! Negotiations with #Abramovich are already taking place. He still wants to sell #Chelsea quickly.
"The American-Swiss consortium is confident that progress can be made over the weekend. Already on Monday a deal could be announced.
"That depends on the negotiations over the weekend. Swiss billionaire Wyss will now fly from Boston to California on Thursday afternoon."
