Ricketts family-led consortium withdraws offer to buy Chelsea

The latest via Sky Sports revealed that the Ricketts family-led consortium that was one of the final four shortlisted bidders to buy Chelsea has withdrawn its bid.

Recall the Ricketts family, who are also the owners of the Chicago Cubs baseball team, partnered with US billionaires Ken Griffin and Dan Gilbert to buy Chelsea after the club was put up for sale amid sanctions from the UK government.

The report revealed they have dropped their bid to buy the EPL club because they cannot agree on the final make up of the deal.

In a statement released on Friday, the Ricketts consortium said: “The Ricketts-Griffin-Gilbert Group has decided, after careful consideration, not to submit a final bid for Chelsea FC.

“In the process of finalising their proposal, it became increasingly clear that certain issues could not be addressed given the unusual dynamics around the sales process.

“We have great admiration for Chelsea and its fans, and we wish the new owners well.”

Controversies had trailed the family over the discriminatory emails sent by Joe Ricketts, the family’s patriarch, in 2009, which saw some fans stage a protest at Stamford Bridge before the defeat to Brentford earlier this month.

Sky Sports report that the Ricketts consortium’s withdrawal was not down to the protests but rather the deal’s structure.