Oligarch Roman Abramovich's $3 billion London soccer team has as many as 200 interested buyers, reports say

• Bids to buy Chelsea FC, the soccer team currently owned by Roman Abramovich, are due by Friday.
• 200 parties are interested, though many are not thought to be serious contenders, reports say.

As many as 200 parties have registered an interest in buying Chelsea FC, the London soccer team owned by the billionaire Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, various UK media outlets reported this week.

Abramovich put the club up for sale soon after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, days before he was hit by sanctions from the UK government over his close links to President Vladimir Putin.

The oligarch wants a quick sale of the club, though it remains unclear what will happen to the proceeds from any deal, given the UK froze his assets.

Bidders interested in buying Chelsea have until Friday to submit their offers to Raine Group, the US bank appointed to oversee the sale. Abramovich is believed to want in excess of $3 billion for the London side, which is the current European and world club champion.

The Daily Mail cited sources close to the deal as saying that about 200 different entities had submitted their interest in buying Chelsea.

But only a small number of those expressions of interest are being considered serious contenders to buy the club, Sky Sports reported.

Among those believed to be submitting bids for Chelsea are the Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss, Los Angeles Lakers co-owner Todd Boehly, and the Ricketts family, who own the Chicago Cubs.

Also interested are billionaire the London property developer Nick Candy, New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, and the Ghanaian gold miner Bernard Antwi Boasiako.

The Raine Group believes that a deal for Chelsea could be completed by the end of March, The Guardian reported, with time a crucial factor in the sale following the sanctions against Abramovich.

The sanctions effectively bar Chelsea from making and spending money.

Other restrictions include bans on ticket and merchandise sales, and spending caps for travel and matchday expenses.