The Ricketts Family, who own the Chicago Cubs, have confirmed that they will be making a bid to buy Chelsea.
Over the past two weeks, Roman Abramovich has both put the Premier League club up for sale and been denied the opportunity to recoup the generated funds due to his links with Russian president Vladimir Putin.
With a deadline set for Friday, an array of interested parties are expected to lodge formal offers for Chelsea, with further negotiations expected to go through the British government.
At a time when many Stateside consortiums are expected to come to the fore, the Ricketts Family, who have held a majority stake in the Major League Baseball side since 2009, have announced that they wish to purchase the West Londoners.
A statement read: "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 this Friday.
"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."
Chelsea are keen to push through a sale as fast as possible after their traditional revenue streams were blocked by the government.
Darren Plant
