At least three groups of mainly American investors have made it through to what is expected to be the final phase of the bidding war for Chelsea FC, according to people familiar with the situation.
While more bidders may still make the next round, those that have done so now include a consortium led by former Guggenheim Partner Todd Boehly, another by Apollo Global Management Inc. co-founder Josh Harris, and a third by the Ricketts family, the owners of Major League Baseball’s Chicago Cubs who have teamed up with the billionaire U.S hedge fund manager Ken Griffin.
The Raine Group, the New York-based merchant bank handling the sale for Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich, has been weighing offers submitted by last Friday’s deadline. The bank wasn’t planning to announce on Thursday which of those had made the first cut, but was instead telling those rejected for its shortlist of final candidates, the people said.