Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante said the Premier League team's players were caught off guard by Roman Abramovich's decision to sell the club following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but urged them to stay focused on their quest to finish in the top four in the Premier League.

Abramovich said on Wednesday he would sell Chelsea after 19 years amid growing calls for sanctions on the metals magnate, similar to those imposed on other Russian oligarchs, following Russia's invasion. Abramovich has made vast fortunes since the break-up of the Soviet Union but denies close links to Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

"It was something we were not prepared for," Kante told Sky Sports on Thursday, referring to the announcement by Abramovich.

"It came quick, but the only thing we can do because we don't control these things, is do as best what we have always done ... playing football.

"Playing football is the best for us, for the club and for the fans ... it's the only thing that we control and we want to do that."

Chelsea is third in the English top flight with 50 points from 25 matches and faces Burnley on Saturday.

"We are in a good position for the top four, we are fully focused on going game by game and securing that," the French player said.

"It will not be easy as we still need to win many games but we train hard and hope to do it, starting this weekend."

Premier League head Richard Masters welcomed Abramovich's decision, but cautioned that sales normally take several weeks.

"I think the situation has escalated incredibly quickly over the last seven days and he's come to the right conclusion," Masters told the Financial Times Football Business Summit. "It's unsustainable in the current environment.

"So it's a welcome decision and obviously, for the sake of everybody, including the fans, as soon as the sale process concludes everyone has certainty.

Newcastle United shareholder Amanda Staveley expressed sympathy Abramovich.

Speaking at a soccer summit in London, Staveley once again defended Newcastle's takeover last year by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) — a deal she helped facilitate.

Critics of the takeover, including human rights groups, say it is an example of "sportswashing" by Saudi Arabia.

In reply to a question about her continued insistence that there was separation between PIF, which owns 80% of the club, and the Saudi state, Staveley touched on the Chelsea situation.

"I think we're always going to have geopolitical issues. This world is never going to not have problems. I know it's really hard," she said at the FT Business of Football Summit.

"And I'm really sad that someone (Abramovich) is having a club taken away from them because of the relationship they may have, I don't think that's fair."

Staveley was asked whether Chelsea would have been a preferred option for her Saudi Arabian-backed consortium when it was seeking to buy a Premier League club last year.

"We had the opportunity to look at every club, including Chelsea, and Chelsea is a wonderful club," she said.

"And I'm enjoying working with all the Chelsea colleagues on the Premier League board. But no, there was only one club for us, there will only ever be one club for us.

"We like the challenge of trying to buy something at the 20th position in the league and try and put it to the top."