Tycoon Kenneth Griffin ‘joins forces with Chicago Cubs owners to make BLOCKBUSTER Chelsea bid’

American tycoon Ken Griffin has reportedly joined forces with the owners of Chicago Cubs to launch to a blockbuster bid to own Chelsea. 

Sky claim the Ricketts family and Griffin have come together to create an investment group and will lodge a formal offer for the west London outfit on Friday.

That coincides with the deadline set by American merchant bank Raine Group – who are handling the sale of the club – for bids to be submitted.

A spokesman for the consortium told Sky: ‘The Ricketts Family, owners of the Chicago Cubs, can confirm they will be leading an investment group that will make a formal bid for Chelsea Football Club this Friday.

‘As long-time operators of an iconic professional sports team, the Ricketts Family and their partners understand the importance of investing for success on the pitch, while respecting the traditions of the club, the fans and the community.

‘We look forward to sharing further details of our plans in due course.’ 

Griffin is the founder and chief executive of Citadel Asset Management,  an American multinational hedge fund and financial services company.

Forbes recently estimated the 53-year-old’s wealth at £20billion ($26.5bn), which makes him the reported 45th richest man in America and the wealthiest individual in the public domain interested in solving Chelsea’s crisis by buying the club from Roman Abramovich.

American tycoon Ken Griffin has reportedly joined forces with the owners of Chicago Cubs to launch to a blockbuster bid to own Chelsea

Griffin has joined forces with Chicago Cubs chairman Thomas Ricketts (centre) and his family

It is also reported that the Ricketts’ have shown interest in Chelsea beforehand in 2018

The Ricketts’ family fortune came from founding an online trading company called TD Ameritrade.

They then acquired TD Waterhouse for $1.7 billion, and renamed the company TD Ameritrade, and is now called The Charles Schwab Corporation.

The family – including Cubs chairman Tom and his three siblings Peter, Laura, and Todd – have since gone on to share ownership of the Cubs with their parents since 2009 through their family trust.

It is also reported that the Ricketts’ have shown interest in Chelsea beforehand, having made an offer to buy the club in 2018. The family have also been linked with a making a bid for AC Milan in recent years.

They have enjoyed success in the last six years in Major League Baseball, overseeing the Cubs’ third World Series win in their history in 2016.

They have also completed a $1bn revamp of the team’s home stadium called Wrigley Field, which was originally built in 1914.

But now their joint effort with Griffin is expected to provide a serious challenge to rival other interested parties.

New York Jets owner Woody Johnson has reportedly launched a £2bn bid to buy the club.

According to the Sun, the American businessman – a long-time ally of former US President Donald Trump – hopes to seal the deal before Friday’s deadline.

His bid is less than the Saudi Media Group’s £2.7bn — but he believes he can win because of his extensive London links.

As it stands, property developer Nick Candy, the Swiss-American consortium and a group led by British businessman Sir Martin Broughton are among those rated as the most serious contenders.

But reports suggest the Swiss-American consortium – involving Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss, American tycoon Todd Boehly and London-based property investor Jonathan Goldstein – is still looking to complete its team.

Bidders are looking to buy the club off Roman Abramovich (above) after he was sanctioned

Swiss outlet Blick claim their team is not complete as was previously thought, and that they are therefore still looking for partners with this week’s deadline fast approaching.  

Meanwhile Ghanaian businessman Bernard Antwi Boasiako has also thrown his hat into the ring, pledging to bring stability back to Chelsea after confirming to Sportsmail that he is interested in bidding for the club.

Claims emerged last week that the gold mine owner was exploring an offer to buy the crisis-stricken Stamford Bridge club, with a spokesman for the African businessman now confirming his interest. 

A deadline of this coming Friday has been set by the Raine Group for bids to be submitted

New York Jets owner Woody Johnson (centre) has reportedly launched a bid to buy Chelsea

As it stands, property developer Nick Candy (centre) is among the serious contenders

Meanwhile, Chelsea have been cleared to play the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Lille, despite Abramovich being added to the European Union’s sanction ‘black list’.

Fears had grown in France that Wednesday’s Champions League clash would not be able to go ahead after the EU followed the UK Government in sanctioning Chelsea’s Russian owner due to his links to Vladimir Putin.

After Abramovich’s British assets were frozen last week, placing Chelsea under a transfer embargo and preventing them from selling tickets and merchandise amongst other prohibitions, the club were issued a special Government licence to continue football operations in the UK.

Reports in France suggested they would need a similar licence to face Lille at the Stade Pierre Mauroy, but a UEFA official has told i that the EU will be following the UK’s sanctions, meaning they are still able to compete in the Champions League.