Chelsea set to have new owners BEFORE end of season as billionaire bidders given deadline to submit revised bids

CHELSEA are set to have new owners in place by the end of next month - with four bidders left in the frame.

US investment bank Raine Group has told the four remaining contenders they have until April 11 to submit revised bids for the club.

And with the Government keen to push through a sale as soon as possible, it is now expected a deal will be signed off inside the next five weeks.

That will still have to be approved by Prem chiefs and the Government.

But it appears increasingly likely that Chelsea's future will be settled well before the end of the season.

All four bidders still in the contest have links to US sports franchises, with only two of the contenders having genuine British links.

That is the consortium fronted by former British Airways chief Sir Martin Broughton and Lord Seb Coe, but which is funded by the wealth of American financiers Josh Harris and Dave Blitzer.

Harris and Blitzer, who own the Philadelphia 76ers NBA franchise and New Jersey devils ice hockey side, will have to sell their stake in Crystal Palace if the Chelsea bid to be approved.

LA Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly is at the top of the ticket for the apparent leading group, which also includes Switzerland’s richest man Hansjorg Wyss and London-based property developer Jonathan Goldstein.

The Ricketts family, owners of the Chicago Cubs, crossed last week’s initial hurdle despite failing to convince the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust to endorse their campaign.

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And the fourth bidder was the last one to emerge, headed by private equity billionaire and Boston Celtics owner Stephen Pagliuca.

Pagliuca would also have to get rid of his other football ownership, with Italian side Atalanta, were the two clubs to be in the same European competition.

All four bidding groups have been told they must show proof they will be willing to bankroll team and stadium upgrades to the tune of £1bn to go forward.

That was designed to reassure Chelsea fans that the club will remain as competitive in the future as it has been under Roman Abramovich.

MOUNTING PRESSURE

A rapid sale would be preferable for the players it seems, with Mason Mount admitting the players are in the dark over what is happening.

Speaking on England duty he said: "I’ve been at the club since I was six-years-old and something like this has not happened before, so it can be a concern.

“At the beginning, and even now, we don’t really know where it’s going and what’s happening the next day. So it’s difficult.

"But we focus on our football and what we can do is try and win as many games as we can.

"Obviously I’m away with England, so that stuff is kind of parked and I’m focusing on England duty and what I can do while I’m away.

"And then, when I go back to Chelsea next week, I’m sure we will be informed about what’s going on because I haven’t heard anything recently.”