At least three parties are set to bid for ownership of Chelsea in the wake of Roman Abramovich 's decision to hand over control of the club.
The Russian billionaire announced on Saturday that he will step back from his duties as owner and, for the first time since he bought the Blues for £140million in 2003, is reportedly considering a sale.
Following Russia 's invasion of Ukraine, Abramovich emerged as one many high-profile businessmen told that they should face further sanctions in the UK, before he quickly handed over "stewardship" at Stamford Bridge.
But after initially declaring that the club's Charitable Foundation would be put in charge, at least two of the six trustees tasked with running Chelsea considered stepping down from their roles due to uncertainty over the operation, prompting talk of a takeover.
Click here for live updates of the events in Ukraine.
Now, a changing of the guard in west London seems a realistic prospect and the Telegraph claim that three bids for the Blues are being prepared and could be submitted as soon as this week.
But a possible hurdle would be if Abramovich is sanctioned by the UK government in the coming days, as any interested parties would therefore need to find out whether or not they could trade with the 55-year-old or his associates.
During his 19-year reign which has seen Chelsea win every trophy available to them, Abramovich is said to have turned down offers worth up to £2.2billion.
In the event of a sale, it is added that the club's £1.51bn debt to him would likely need to be covered.
While Abramovich's decision to hand over control to the charity trustees was labelled 'cowardly ' by Gary Neville, manager Thomas Tuchel lost his cool with reporters on Tuesday when pressed on the situation.
"I have to say that's a bit too much for me to answer. I'm not aware of any details, and I'm not aware of the whole situation," Tuchel admitted, speaking ahead of his team's FA Cup clash with Luton Town on Wednesday.
"We all agree there are situations much, much more important than football, this will never change. And situations like war are of course so much more important.
"But the role of Mr Abramovich is not for me to comment on, because I simply don't know enough about it."
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Pushed to discuss the conflict in Ukraine and Abramovich's reported involvement in peace talks, the Blues boss snapped: "Listen, listen, listen – you have to stop. I am not a politician. You have to stop, honestly.
"I can only repeat it [it's horrible]. And I even feel bad to repeat it because I never experienced war. So even to talk about it I feel bad because I am very privileged.
"I sit here in peace and I do the best I can, but you have to stop asking me these questions. I have no answers for you."
