Boston Celtics co-owner Stephen Pagliuca is the fourth Chelsea bidder who has been shortlisted by the Raine Group, according to The Athletic.
The three other bids which made it to the next stage of the sale are from Todd Boehly-led consortium, Sir Martin Broughton’s group, and the Ricketts family.
The inclusion of the Ricketts family’s bid in the list is quite a surprise given many of the fans, especially on social media, have expressed their concerns over the Chicago Cub owners.
It is still not as big a surprise compared to Pagliuca’s being among the preferred bids, though, given the lack of media coverage of his proposal.
Aside from being a co-owner of the Celtics, the American investor also reportedly owns a 55 percent stake of Serie A side Atalanta.
The Athletic claims that Pagliuca “is thought to be in with a real chance of buying the west London club”.
The report, however, does not mention whether Pagliuca made the bid alone or in conjunction with partners.
This is certainly interesting as Pagliuca’s being a part-owner of Atalanta could prove problematic, at least in UEFA competitions.
The European football governing body’s rules do not allow two clubs or more participating in a UEFA club competition to be directly or indirectly controlled by the same entity or managed by the same person.
Similarly, Sir Broughton’s party reportedly involves Josh Harris and David Blitzer, who own a minority stake in Crystal Palace, as major financiers.
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