The Chelsea fraternity has some hope of revival off the pitch after the American investment firm tasked with selling said it expects a sale could happen by the end of the month of March .
The government will however need to issue a new licence for the club to be sold after owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned last week.
But after an agreement that the funds from the sale could go to a charitable organisation or into a frozen account, there is confidence the process of getting a new licence will be smooth.
The government issued a special licence to allow the club to continue operating after freezing Abramovich’s assets, citing his links to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
However, under the original terms of the licence, the club cannot be sold.
The deadline for bids has been extended to Friday 18 March, with more than 20 credible parties interested.
Any sale would need to satisfy the stipulations set out in the new licence, which would be issued once a preferred buyer had been highlighted.
The sale will also be subject to the Premier League’s owners’ and directors’ test.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said earlier this month: “The quickest one we’ve done is 10 days, but that’s not to say it can’t be beaten.”
On the pitch Chelsea players have responded positively with two out of two wins in the EPL fixtures. The players travel to Lille in the last 16 of the champions league second leg in France .