According to the BBC, this Friday, about six candidates would appear in the first short list of potential buyers of Chelsea.
They had until last Friday to declare themselves to the American bank Raine, in charge of the sale of the club whose owner, the oligarch Roman Abramovich, is targeted by British and European sanctions following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
Two of the successful candidates confirmed on Friday that they were part of this shortlist, the consortia led by former Liverpool chairman Martin Broughton and Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly.
A more shortlist will be drawn up and then the final successful bidder will be announced and reviewed by the Premier League, whose green light will be needed to confirm the new ownership of the Blues.
A price set at 3 billion pounds
The selection criteria include the size of the offer (Abramovich set the price at 3 billion pounds, or 3.6 billion euros), the speed with which the funds are made available, and the experience of the suitors in the sport.
Separately, the Financial Times reported on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin personally approved of Roman Abramovich's involvement in Russia's peace talks with Ukraine, "according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter. ".
For the British business daily, this direct blessing from the Kremlin underlines the close ties between the Russian president and the oligarch and goes against his claims that he was never part of Vladimir Putin's inner circle.