Selected candidates to take over Chelsea made public. They must donate £1bn to support the club’s infrastructure

This week a quartet of bidders were approved to buy Chelsea. They must provide contractual guarantees that at least £1 billion of additional funding will be available for Stamford Bridge stadium, the playing squad and other areas of development.

The bidders who have been shortlisted to buy Chelsea and have been made public are:

TheRicketts family – they own the Chicago Cubs baseball team

Stephen Pagliuca – co-owner of the Boston Celtic basketball team and Atalanta Bergamo football team

Consortium of Todd Boehly and Sir Martin Broughton – co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team and former chairman of Liverpool

The shortlist is not yet complete. Chelsea fan Nick Candy is also among the other hopefuls and is still not giving up hope and is involved in further talks and the bidding process.

The bids that make the shortlist will gain access to Chelsea’s database. They will be given a password that will allow them to look at all financial data including player contracts.

They will also have the opportunity to visit the club and meet key staff such as head coach Thomas Tuchel, chairman Bruce Buck and chief executive Guy Laurence.

The quartet of bidders must commit at least £1bn to future investment in the club if they are to succeed. Additional funds must be available for the Stamford Bridge stadium, the playing squad and other areas of development.

This condition is likely to go some way to reassuring the club’s supporters that its new owner will continue to support it with the significant financial resources they have become accustomed to under Abramovich.

All four bidders have considerable experience of sports stadium infrastructure. This is a key factor given Chelsea’s long-term plan for the expansion of Stamford Bridge. It has a capacity barely half that of Manchester United’s stadium at Old Trafford.

Sky Sports