Former
British Airways chairman Martin Broughton said his consortium bidding for
English Premier League team Chelsea has the backing of wealthy investors from
around the world, reported Reuters.

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So
far three bids have been made to buy Chelsea by groups led by British property
developer Nick Candy, Chicago Cubs owners of the Ricketts family and the
pairing of Broughton and the president of World Athletics, Sebastian Coe.

The
bidding window closed at 9 PM (GMT) on Friday with a shortlist of offers set to
be finalised by the start of next week.

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Chelsea
are up for grab after owner Roman Abramovich decided to sell the club as the
British government imposed sanctions on the Russian oligarch.

”It’s
a group of individuals from around the world … highly capitalised. This will be
all their own money, no exit timelines, and from four or five continents,”
Broughton said of his group in a BBC radio interview on Saturday.

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“All
of these people are committed to keeping Chelsea at the level it is at the
moment – a top championship-winning team,” added Broughton, who claimed to be
an ardent supporter of Chelsea since 1955.

In
the meantime, South Korean companies Hana Financial Group and C&P Sports
Limited have also joined the bidding war, with Candy offering two billion
pounds ($2.6 billion) to claim the ownership of the club, a statement from
Candy said on Friday.

Broughton,
however, refused to reveal how much his group had bid but said it was
competitive.

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The
owners of the US baseball team the Chicago Cubs, the Ricketts family, have also
made a bid for Chelsea, in conjunction with Citadel founder Ken Griffin.

In
the coming days, more companies are likely to join the bidding war for the
popular Premier League club. According to a Reuters report, Swiss billionaire
Hansjoerg Wyss, who has linked up with LA Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly, British
businessman Jonathan Goldstein and Conservative peer Daniel Finkelstein, have
also submitted their bids.

Also Read: European Union imposes sanctions on Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich

Broughton
said his consortium was ready to welcome Chelsea fans to buy shares in the club
– something he hoped would appeal to the British government as it weighs up the
different bids.

“We
think the winning bid needs to be fan-friendly,” he said.