Chicago Cubs owners the Ricketts family confirm bid for Chelsea with hedge fund boss Ken Griffin
The owners of Major League Baseball’s Chicago Cubs, the Ricketts family, have confirmed they plan to bid for Chelsea Football Club.
The Ricketts family have formed a consortium with billionaire hedge fund manager Ken Griffin to make an offer this week, Sky News reported.
“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 Football Club this Friday,” a spokesperson said.
“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.
“We look forward to sharing further details of our plans in due course.”
The Ricketts family is the latest party to declare an interest in bidding for Chelsea after Roman Abramovich was forced to put the Premier League club up for sale.
Abramovich did so earlier this month, just days before his assets were frozen by the UK government as part of sanctions against Russia.
Other bidders are expected to include a consortium featuring Hansjorg Wyss, Todd Boehly and Jonathan Goldstein and another fronted by British property developer Nick Candy.
American bank the Raine Group is leading the sale and has asked for bidders to submit their best offers by the end of this week.
The government has indicated it will relax Chelsea’s operating licence to allow a sale to take place on the condition that Abramovich does not receive any of the proceeds.