Sir Jim Ratcliffe tables last-minute £4.25bn bid for Chelsea Football Club

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has tabled a last-minute £4.25bn bid to buy Chelsea.

Ratcliffe is reported to have held talks with Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck on Thursday and submitted a major offer for the Stamford Bridge club on Friday.

The 69-year-old explored in detail a possible bid for the Blues back in 2019, only to buy French club Nice instead.

Chelsea have told the consortium led by Steve Pagliuca, part-owner of the NBA’s Boston Celtics and Serie A’s Atalanta, that it is not the preferred bidder.

This leaves Ratcliffe’s offer as one of three remaining alongside a bid led by Sir Martin Broughton, and another by a consortium headed by Todd Boehly.