The Ricketts family, a Nebraska -based dynasty that owns the Chicago Cubs, have decided against making final bid to buy Chelsea Football Club stating that “certain issues could not be addressed given the unusual dynamics around the sales process.” The Ricketts family, part of a consortium that includes hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin (much more on him in a bit) and Cleveland Cavaliers Owner Dan Gilbert, insist that their the decision to withdraw from the process is not related to the Chelsea supporter backlash against them.

That backlash stems mainly from Islamophobic emails written and sent out by family patriarch Joe Ricketts in 2009. The Ricketts family claim simply claim that they were unable to reach agreement, with all parties on a final offer that they felt comfortable submitting.

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New York-based merchant bank Raine Group are overseeing the derby to purchase Chelsea Football Club from Roman Abramovich, with a deadline for final proposals now set for April 11. We’re down to the final four, with a bid from the Ricketts family, owners of the Chicago Cubs, getting the most public attention (and not in a good way).

Last weekend’s home loss to Brentford saw a group of Chelsea fans protest, on site at Stamford Bridge, the potential Ricketts takeover. The Chelsea Supporters Trust stated last week that 77% of its members do not support the idea of the Ricketts family owning the club.

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Here we go! We’re down to the final four of a huge money, big stakes sports competition that the whole world is watching. No, we’re not talking about the NCAA Tournament culmination down in New Orleans this weekend, but the sale of Chelsea Football Club.

We’re down to the short list now, it’s contenders only, no pretenders at this point. When all is said and done, Roman Abramovich still doesn’t have to sell, if he doesn’t get an offer that he likes. However, given the current political climate, and how it affects him individually, it’s in best interests to do so.

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When Roman Abramovich sells Chelsea FC to whomever wins the bidding process, it is widely expected to be the biggest club sale in the history of professional sports. We do know that we’re down to the short list now of potential owners, but we can’t confirm completely who is on that list. It would appear that the Ricketts family, who own the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball, are probably on that short list, as they are aligned with multi-billionaire hedge fund tycoon Ken Griffin.

Or maybe they’re not on the list, as the Ricketts family flew to London to try and better their chances of closing the deal. They have plenty of work to do, given how the club supporter backlash against them is so strong right now.

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Tuesday brought news that the Ricketts family, who own the Chicago Cubs, are flying to London in an attempt to complete a purchase of Chelsea Football Club. It’s reportedly down to the short list now, only the serious candidates to takeover CFC are supposedly still in the mix.

Aligned with Ken Griffin, the CEO of hedge fund Citadel, the Ricketts family are certainly on that short list. That’s because Griffin with a net worth of $26.5 billion, has more wealth on paper than anyone else who has been linked with buying Chelsea from Roman Abramovich.

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There is still a very long way to go until Chelsea actually gets sold, but the Ricketts family, who currently own the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball, have now put themselves in good position. We’re hesitant to say pole position, because no one knows for sure what will happen, and this club sale is shaping up to be possibly the most expensive and competitive in Premier League history, but the Cubs/Ricketts have the right ally now.

That ally is Ken Griffin, the CEO of hedge fund Citadel, with a net worth of $26.5 billion. Of all the groups who have been linked with potentially buying Chelsea, he’s the highest net worth of them all.

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Update: We discussed this topic during a guest appearance on WGN News Now

Chelsea FC are now on the trading block, with Owner Roman Abramovich hoping to get, according to reports, somewhere between $4-$7.5B. So you know, you might want to look into the cushions of your couch and see how much change might have fallen underneath/between them. The weekend brought news of a new potential bidder, the Ricketts family, which owns among other things, the Chicago Cubs. As the public face of the 8th richest and most powerful ownership group in Major League Baseball, Chairman Tom Ricketts has made a habit of crying poor in public.

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