Billionaire businessman Sir Jim Ratcliffe has tabled a last-minute £4.25 billion bid to buy Chelsea Football Club from sanctioned Russian Roman Abramovich.
The Ineos boss is understood to have held talks with Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck and submitted what now represents the biggest offer for the Premier League club on Friday.
Ineos said they would aim to buy the world's best players, coaches and staff.
Other hopefuls Todd Boehly, Sir Martin Broughton and Steve Pagliuca were all hoping to hear this week which of their consortium offers to buy the Blues had been selected as the preferred bid.
The 69-year-old, one of Britain's richest people, explored a previous bid for the Blues in 2019, only to buy French club Nice instead, but his due diligence on Chelsea there could expedite the process this time around.
An Ineos statement read: “Sir Jim Ratcliffe, chairman of Ineos, has made a formal bid for Chelsea FC, for £4.25bn; £2.5bn is committed to the Charitable Trust to support victims of the war, with £1.75bn committed to investment directly into the club over the next 10 years.
“This is a British bid, for a British club. We believe that a club is bigger than its owners who are temporary custodians of a great tradition. With responsibility to the fans and the community.
“That is why we are committing to spending £1.75bn over 10 years that will be for the direct benefit of the club.
The statement added that Ineos will invest in Stamford Bridge to make it a “world-class stadium, befitting of Chelsea FC".
“We will continue to invest in the team to ensure we have a first-class squad of the world's greatest players, coaches and support staff, in the men's and women's games,” it continued.
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1) League Cup, February 2005: Chelsea won their first trophy under Roman Abramovich by defeating Liverpool 3-2 after extra time in the 2003 League Cup final. John Arne Riise scored early for Liverpool before a Steven Gerrard own goal sent the game into extra time. Didier Drogba and Mateja Kezman made it 3-1 to Chelsea and Antonio Nunez pulled one back for Liverpool. The Abramovich era had begun. AFP -
2) Premier League, 2004/05: Jose Mourinho lived up to his self-appointed 'Special One' tag by guiding Chelsea to their first Premier League title and first top-flight title in 50 years. The Blues marched away with the league, finishing 12 points clear and losing just once. AFP -
3) Premier League 2005/06: Back-to-back titles for the Blues who were once again head and shoulders above their rivals, finishing eight points ahead of runners-up Manchester United. Getty Images -
4) League Cup, February 2007: Trophy No 4 was delivered at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, where Chelsea beat Arsenal 2-1 in the final. Theo Walcott put the Gunners in front but a Drogba double ensured the Blues emerged victorious. AFP -
5) FA Cup, May 2007: Chelsea missed out on the league title but finished the season with the Cup double, beating Manchester United 1-0 after extra time, courtesy of another Drogba goal. AFP -
6) FA Cup, May 2009: Interim manager Guus Hiddink left his mark on Chelsea by guiding the club to an FA Cup triumph. After falling behind to a first-minute Louis Saha goal, Chelsea fought back through Drogba and Frank Lampard to defeat Everton 2-1. AFP -
7) Premier League, 2009/2010: After three years without a league title, Chelsea came roaring back to win the 2010 trophy. Following the dogged and pragmatic style under Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti got the team playing with flair as the Blues scored 103 goals and won the title by one point ahead of Manchester United. AFP -
8) FA Cup, May 2010: Chelsea successfully defended the FA Cup with a 1-0 win over Portsmouth. No prizes for guessing the matchwinner as Drogba struck to secure the double. AFP -
9) FA Cup, May 2012: After the ill-fated spell of Andre Villas-Boas, former Chelsea midfielder Roberto Di Matteo came in to steady the ship. Steady the ship he did as Chelsea beat Liverpool 2-1 in the FA Cup final. Ramires and Drogba scored Chelsea's goals before Andy Carroll pulled one back for Liverpool. AFP -
10) Uefa Champions League, May 2012: The 10th trophy under Abramovich and the one the Russian craved above all others. Chelsea were crowned European champions in improbable style, riding their luck to defeat Bayern Munich on penalties inside the German club's own stadium. Drogba's header levelled five minutes after Thomas Muller had put Bayern in the lead to force extra time, where Arjen Robben then missed a penalty. It was then left to the main man Drogba to seal it from the penalty spot. AFP -
11) Uefa Europa League, May 2013: A disappointing Champions League campaign saw Chelsea drop into the Europa League, but the Blues made their superiority count in Europe's second-tier tournament. Fernando Torres gave Chelsea the lead in the final, before Oscar Cardozo equalised from the spot. Branislav Ivanovic secured the trophy with the winner in injury time. AFP -
12) League Cup, March 2015: The return of Mourinho brought with it more domestic success, starting with a third League Cup under Abramovich. Chelsea claimed a 2-0 victory over Tottenham in the final, John Terry and Diego Costa with the goals. AFP -
13) Premier League, 2014/15: Mourinho secured a double as Chelsea won their first league title in five years. It was a convincing season for the Blues, who finished eight points clear of runners-up Manchester City. AFP -
14) Premier League, 2016/17: Antonio Conte announced himself to English football with a remarkable debut season as Chelsea manager, guiding the club to the title and a then record 30 league wins. The Blues were seven points clear of second-placed Tottenham. AFP -
15) FA Cup, May 2018: Two seasons, two trophies for Conte as Chelsea defeated Manchester United 1-0 in the FA Cup final, Eden Hazard scoring the only goal of the game from the penalty spot. It proved Conte's last game in charge. AFP -
16) Uefa Europa League, 2018/19: Maurizio Sarri's brief time in charge is not remembered all that fondly but the Italian did deliver silverware with an emphatic 4-1 win over rivals Arsenal in the final after goals from Olivier Giroud, Pedro and a Hazard double. Alex Iwobi grabbed a consolation for Arsenal. AFP -
17) Uefa Champions League, May 2021: Thomas Tuchel wrote his name into Chelsea folklore by guiding the club to the Champions League title just five months after taking charge. Kai Havertz scored the only goal of the game against a much-favoured Manchester City side. AFP -
18) Fifa Club World Cup, February 2022: As part of the privilege of being European champions, Chelsea competed in the Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi last month. The Blues lived up to their billing, defeating Palmeiras 2-1 after extra time in the final. Romelu Lukaku put Chelsea ahead only for Raphael Veiga to level from the spot. Havertz then converted a penalty deep in extra time to clinch it. If being crowned world champions proves to be the final achievement of Abramovich's era, it is a fitting tribute. AFP
“And we hope to continue to invest in the academy to provide opportunity for talented youngsters to develop into first class players.”
Ineos said London should have a club that reflects the stature of the city, one that “is held in the same regard as Real Madrid, Barcelona or Bayern Munich”.
“We are making this investment as fans of the beautiful game — not as a means to turn a profit. We do that with our core businesses,” it said.
“The club is rooted in its community and its fans. And it is our intention to invest in Chelsea FC for that reason.”
Sir Ian's late entrance adds another bid to the battle to buy Chelsea from Roman Abramovich.
Chelsea will still hope to have a new owner in place by the end of May, despite any delays that come from Sir Ian's late entry.
Once the Raine Group selects a preferred bidder, the government must then grant a new licence to allow the sale to be completed.
Mr Abramovich put Chelsea up for sale on March 2 amid Russia's continued invasion of Ukraine.
The 55-year-old was then sanctioned by the UK government on March 10, with Downing Street claiming to have proven links between the Russian-Israeli billionaire and- Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Mr Abramovich has owned Chelsea for 19 years, leading the club to 21 trophies in a glittering tenure.
