The Saudi Media Group and New York Jets owner Woody Johnson have reportedly been told they are not part of a final shortlist in the sale of Chelsea Football Club.
Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich announced his decision to sell the club shortly before he was sanctioned by the UK government as a result of his ties to president Vladimir Putin.
He appointed US bank The Raine Group to oversee the process and even in spite of the sanctions placed on Abramovich, they have been able to continue the process and are preparing to name three final offers.
Goal report that the Saudi Media Group is 'disappointed not to make it through' to the final shortlist while Sky News have claimed Jets owner Johnson has also not made the cut.
They add that SMG is 'willing to support other consortiums that are selected' with the belief that Chelsea needing a quick sale as the reason for their snub by the Raine Group.
Saudi Media generates an estimated £770million per year, hence their need to bring in outside backers as part of their bid.
It is believed that Mohamed Alkhereiji, a lifelong Chelsea fan who was leading the private Saudi consortium, submitted an offer in the region of £2.7billion.
The Saudi Media Group is not directly owned by the Saudi government, unlike Newcastle United's owner the Public Investment Fund (PIF). However, Khalid Al Saud is chair of the state-owned Saudi Telecom Company, in which the PIF owns shares.
It was reported earlier this week that Chelsea could receive the highest ever price to purchase a sports team with a bid of over £3bn.
Chelsea have been hit hard by the sanctions are are not currently permitted to buy players, agree new contracts, sell match day tickets and their away day travel budget has been capped at £20,000 - with the club given a special licence to continue to their desperate search for new ownership.
Sportsmail previously revealed there is an expectancy that Todd Boehly's consortium will make the shortlist, while the fact members of the Ricketts Family have committed to flying over to England to meet supporters indicates they are confident of making the final cut.
The consortium led by Sir Martin Broughton and Lord Coe, which is set to be heavily financed by current Crystal Palace shareholders Josh Harris and David Blitzer, are considered among the favourites to be shortlisted.
The group led by Nick Candy remain hopeful of making the final three or four; while Centricus, a consortium fronted by Chelsea season ticket holders, are also hoping to be part of the shortlist.
Sky News have reported that the offer by New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, has been unsuccessful, as well as that of Muhsin Barak, the Turkish businessman who brashly claimed he had a 90 per chance of buying the Stamford Bridge club from Abramovich.
The offer from Aethel Partners is also expected to miss out, according to that report.
As well as being overseen by Raine, Sportsmail understands Blues director Marina Granovskaia also offered interested groups guidance during the bidding process.
Raine asked bidders to give binding assurances about future spending on the club and its ground prior to the shortlist being finalised.
An insider told Sky Sports: 'They want guarantees about future capital funding for the club and stadium, and cash on the balance sheet, so that they can be certain they are picking the best future owner of Chelsea.'
The Ricketts Family this week moved to defuse growing tensions towards their bid to buy Chelsea, insisting they are not racist.
Patriarch of the family Joe Ricketts was forced to apologise for describing Muslims as an 'enemy' in leaked emails.
But a statement for the Ricketts Family read: 'Our family rejects any form of hate in the strongest possible terms. Racism and Islamophobia have no place whatsoever in our society. We have developed deep and abiding partnerships with the Muslim community in Chicago, as well as with all communities of colour.
'Respect for diversity and inclusion are central to our family's values. If we prevail in our bid for Chelsea, we commit to the Club and to the fans that we will actively promote these values.'
The bidders put through to the final stage by Raine will be told they have until the end of April to strike a deal.
The club continue to operate amid the swirl of uncertainty surrounding them and were boosted by the news this week that they are able to sell tickets to their FA Cup semi-final with Crystal Palace and also the Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid.
They remain banned from selling tickets to home games as part of the licence given to them to operate following the freezing of Abramovich's assets.
There is a real urgency to get the sale completed to avoid the breaking up of the squad this summer.
The Premier League and government will both have to give the green light for the new owners to take over when the time comes.
fiobdeklot
530
allow Saudi to buy the team , because they are Muslim you rejected their offer you are saying that no room for racism but you are still practicing racism
dutanpstz
490
Guys, what is happiness? Today I suffered a very bad day. I am currently living in a room in a small village in India (actually I from Mumbai, one of the biggest cities of India but as I got admission in. a college which is located in that small village so therefore I have to go and live there) So, as I was telling, at 7:30 pm evening (in India) my root canal cap (a dental issue) fall out from my teeth while I was eating something and as I live in a small village, there is not any dentist or even doctor in the village and problem with the root cap is that if it gets removed then it has to be fixed under 24 hours. And also I couldn't eat anything now. So, now I had to tell in my mess to not to prepare my dinner. So I took my bicycle and there are no bus not any cars running through the village at evening and night, and by riding on my shîtty bicycle (reason for calling it shîtty I will tell you later ahead) I reached the big village nearby which was 5 km from it. Hopefully there was a dentist but it was closed. I became so angry and sad. Finally I called him and asked everything and then he said me to come early morning. But the new problem was that I also had my exams tomorrow morning in college. So then I have to call my sir and tell him all the story. Then he said unfortunately he can't take a retest of mine but he said me to do very good study and collect high grades in the 3rd sectional so you can get a higher mean (Here, in college we have 3 sectional also called as unit tests, and an average mean of 2 sectional in which the student got the highest marks is considered) So sir told me to do good study in the 3rd sectional because I will missing this 2nd sectional. So now my 1st and 3rd sessional's mean was going to be considered. 1st sessional took place in past. So I said okay sir thanks, I will try my best to score as much as I can to score maximum in the third sessional. Then finally it was like this that now I would be missing my exam of tomorrow because I have to go the dentist appointment I have made. In my heart, I was feeling very sad and disheartened and unlucky too, as I knew that I will be missing the 2nd sessional test, knowing that I still have 3rd sessional to score good marks in, but this 2nd sessional mostly had easy chapters to study and 3rd sessional is gonna have full of somewhat difficult chapters, therefore I was very disappointed. I sighed. And told to myself, that bro alright it's not your fault, it's all happening naturally. You are not controlling it. You just have to face it now. So, with a little self esteem I got up and started to go way back home in the small village back by riding on my bycycle. But as I was going, just after crossing 1 kilometre, my cycle's chain got broke. And I was middle of that pitch black road (as it was already almost 9:30 pm till now) So, then I had to go remaining 4 km by walking with my bycycle beside that too in the night time in a village where I can be attacked my any animal or any thief could have robbed of kidnapped me or worse kill me. I was very scared. But somehow keeping a very little bit of faith remaining in me I reached my small village and also in my home. As soon as I reached my room, closed the door, I literally busted out in tears as I gone through so much today. Firstly my root canal problem, Then I cannot eat now because of that so I had to stay empty stomach the whole night. Then, when I reached Dentist was closed and it was the only dentist in that big village so I had to do get it fixed tomorrow. also my exam is gonna be missed especially the 2nd sessional which had easy stuff to study, then when returning my shîtty cycle's chain got broke and then I had to go walking down through cold and fear then whole road. Also no one stopped when I asked for lift. After crying, I thought to myself. Why God always wants to see me in suffer and pain even if I always behave good with others? Why nothing ever good happens to me? Why all the problems comes at the same time? I literally cried like a small baby, I can tell you in words that how sad and disheartened I felt. I am just tired of staying alive now..... I am going to now watch Portugal vs Turkey while relaxing peacefully as I have gone through so much today and also as I don't have anything to study now as I am not giving my exam tomorrow. By watching Cristiano Ronaldo performing greatly today I would get some inspiration and confidence to get back on track tomorrow and start the new day with new energized power as the things from I have gone today has depleted me completely, both physical stress and mental stress. I hope I could had watche the match by eating something like popcorns but unfortunately I can't. Hope Cristiano Ronaldo performs greatly today. I believe that watching him play greatly today will give me inspiration and confidence after all that I have gone through today.
Nisdoruy
124
at this point I don't really care who comes in it's long as they're gonna help the club pump the money into the club that is the most important thing and I'm sure thos 4 billionaires that are left I'm sure they're also aiming to bring success to Chelsea the end of the day the money is coming in anyways and we going to be the most expensive sports team in the whole in the history of the game so bringing them dollars man bring it in I'm surely not United 02 Liverpool not Arsenal not Tottenham we are Chelsea and I'm sure why the reasons these billionaires are fighting to own Chelsea football club because they know it's in our DNA to win trophies and be successful and that is going to continue no matter who owns Chelsea football club whether they're coming in for money reasons they going to make the money as long as they can bring them money and pump the money to the club the success will continue to come and that is Chelsea is in our blue blood I wanted the Saudis to come down but unfortunately the British and the Americans say they hate Muslims are there they had no reason to allow them I knew this gonna happen anyway but the choosing their own people and I'm sure and hope I talk football club or continue to be to leave up to the expectations that are waiting them of being the most expensive club in the history of the game in sports in the world there's no sports club and sports has most expensive club than this one and of course we are the best team in the world European champions world champions so it's much as us blue is the colour baby and no matter who comes in Roman abramovic Will live forever in our hearts the Roman empire continues with Roman abramovic or without someone abramovic he will always be the best boss ever so all the other billionaires they want to do even better than him and believe good like I said Chelsea football club so we can be able to remember them alongside the great man Mr ramen abramovic so the competition is on billionaires who ever comes in you must aim to do better than Roman abramovic or try to equal what he has done for the last 19 years or 20 years good luck and all the best for Chelsea of course so bring those billions and keep on blue flag flying high as always keep them pride of London lighting up here and the world blue is the colour football is the game we are all together and winning is our aim so cheer us on through the sun and rain cuz Chelsea Chelsea is the name As-Salaam-Alaikum peace be upon you all billionaires hope you come in peace man and bring them Dallas with you I mean billions of dollars richer right
ChelseaFC_Addict
85
Congratulations to Liverpool and Manchester united influencers for destroying Chelsea FC. Manchester city should watch their back because they're next. Chelsea FC will be like Arsenal and Tottenham they will sell their best players to Manchester united and Liverpool and they will fail to compete in the market this has been the plan all along. This team is going to be owned by evil people people who care only about Money which is sad