Chicago Cubs Owners Prepare Chelsea Bid
Owners of Major League Baseball team the Chicago Cubs intend to make a bid for Premier League club Chelsea before Friday’s deadline.
The Ricketts family said they are leading a bid from a group of investors. Roman Abramovich’s attempt to sell the club had been halted after he was sanctioned by the UK government, but a special license is likely to be granted to allow the sale to go ahead.
The Ricketts family have held majority interest in the Cubs since 2009 and won the World series title in 2016. A statement from the family on Wednesday said “The Ricketts Family, owners of the Chicago Cubs, can confirm they will be leading an investment group that will make a formal bid for Chelsea this Friday. As long-time operators of an iconic professional sports team, the Ricketts Family and their partners understand the importance of investing for success on the pitch, while respecting the traditions of the club, the fans and the community.”
However, they face competition from a consortium led by former Liverpool Chairman Sir Martin Broughton, who has enlisted London Olympics chief, Lord Sebastian Coe, to support his efforts. Broughton welcomed the addition of lifelong Chelsea fan Lord Coe to his own bid, “I am absolutely delighted to welcome Lord Coe to our bid. His reputation speaks for itself, and he will bring phenomenal insight, leadership, and sporting knowledge to Chelsea Football Club.“
The Ricketts family and Broughton join around 20 other interested parties ahead of the deadline for bids on Friday. British businessman Nick Candy said earlier this month that he was also exploring “a number of options for a potential bid”, and recently announced the addition of former Chelsea striker Gianluca Vialli to his team.
Other interested bidders include Swiss billionaire Hansjord Wyss and US business Todd Boehly, Turkish businessman Mushin Bayrak, and a Saudi Arabia-based consortium.
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