Chelsea bidders set to discover their fate

Chelsea fans could have a clear idea of who will be the next owners of the Blues this week, with American bank Raine expected to reveal its preferred bidder from among three offers.

Raine was commissioned to lead the sale process by Roman Abramovich before the Russian was hit by U.K. government sanctions last month over his connections to Vladimir Putin.

The European champion has since been operating under a special license that limits its ability to sell tickets, merchandise and operate in the transfer market.

Chelsea won 19 major trophies during Abramovich's 19-year reign and could add another when it faces Liverpool in next month's FA Cup final.

However, the impact of the sanctions is beginning to show, with rows of empty seats in the home end for Arsenal's 4-2 win at Stamford Bridge on April 20.

The club also cannot offer new contracts: Defenders Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen are likely to leave at the end of the season on free transfers.

The hope is that new owners will be in place by the end of the campaign.

None of the three bids is expected to run into trouble passing the Premier League's owners' and directors' test or seeking U.K. government approval.

Soft loans totaling 1.5 billion ($1.9 billion) from Abramovich have fueled Chelsea's success over the past two decades but he will not claim that money back and will not receive funds from the sale while sanctioned.

Despite those losses and the need for an expensive stadium upgrade to match its status as one of Europe's top clubs, the sale is set to attract a world-record fee for a sports club of an estimated 2.5 billion pounds ($3.2 billion).

Swiss billionaire Hansjoerg Wyss first broke the news of Abramovich's desire to sell in...

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