British billionaire Nick Candy has confirmed he is still pursuing a bid for Chelsea, with the sanctioning of owner Roman Abramovich expected to quicken the sale process once the confusion created by the extraordinary events has been clarified.

The 49-year-old property developer is a Chelsea fan, who is planning to attend Sunday’s Premier League home match against Newcastle and has pledged to put supporters at the centre of his plans for the club that will be jointly-funded with American investors.

‘We are examining the details of the announcement and we are still interested in making a bid,’ a spokesperson for Candy told Sportsmail. ‘Clearly this is a time of great uncertainty for all Chelsea fans.’

British tycoon Nick Candy has confirmed that he is still interested in taking over Chelsea

British tycoon Nick Candy has confirmed that he is still interested in taking over Chelsea

British tycoon Nick Candy has confirmed that he is still interested in taking over Chelsea

Roman Abramovich's sanctioning by the UK government is likely to speed up the sale process

Roman Abramovich's sanctioning by the UK government is likely to speed up the sale process

Roman Abramovich’s sanctioning by the UK government is likely to speed up the sale process

Candy is in talks with several potential investors over a joint venture, with the fact that the sale now has to be officially approved by the government doing little to dampen interest. 

Sportsmail has learned that Abramovich rejected an offer of just under £2billion from one American group earlier this week, and given the level of interest, the eventual sale price is likely to exceed that amount, although none of the money would go to the Russian or any of his charitable projects.

Candy is convinced that Chelsea can be run profitably despite the club posting losses of £145m last year, through growing the club’s brand globally and embracing innovative new markets, as well as extracting more revenue from a multi-purpose redeveloped Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea fan Candy (pictured with wife Holly Valance) is in talks with several potential investors over a joint venture

Chelsea fan Candy (pictured with wife Holly Valance) is in talks with several potential investors over a joint venture

Chelsea fan Candy (pictured with wife Holly Valance) is in talks with several potential investors over a joint venture

This belief appears to be shared by other buyers, with a £2bn-plus bid from Todd Boehly and Hansjorg Wyss still on the table, and serious interest from Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts and the owner of the New York Jets, Woody Johnson.

The terms of the emergency licence the government granted do not permit the club to be sold, but a government spokesman confirmed they will consider an application for a new licence to allow for a sale.

With sponsors dumping them and all future ticket and merchandising sales suspended, a quick sale is the only way Chelsea can remain in business in the medium term as they do not have the funds to continue trading beyond a couple of months.

A quick sale is essential for Chelsea who don't have the funds to continue trading beyond a couple of months

A quick sale is essential for Chelsea who don't have the funds to continue trading beyond a couple of months

A quick sale is essential for Chelsea who don’t have the funds to continue trading beyond a couple of months

Abramovich has been given little choice but to accept a quick sale, while he has also been told his proposal to donate the proceeds to a charitable foundation to benefit both Ukrainians and Russians affected by the war is unacceptable.

In the event of a successful sale, the fees would be administered by government, with the money either frozen or donated to a Ukraine relief fund.

American merchant bank The Raine Group are still handling the sale, although wrote to several interested parties on Thursday saying ‘the process has been paused as the parties consider the implications of the developments and discuss the next steps with UK authorities.’

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