The fight for hearts and minds ahead of the Chelsea takeover has escalated with significant moves from two of the four bidders in the space of 24 hours.
As Thursday's deadline looms to submit final offers, Boston Celtics owner Steve Pagliuca broke his silence with an impassioned public statement in which he pledged to redevelop Stamford Bridge, ‘cherish and preserve’ the club’s traditions and ensure they are ‘habitual winners’.
Moments later, the Ricketts group — whose bid has been maligned following the release of emails sent by patriarch Joe featuring Islamophobic comments — announced Cobra Beer founder and Chelsea fan Karan Bilimoria had joined their bid to buy the club, which has been for sale since sanctions were placed on owner Roman Abramovich.