US bankers Raine will decide on the next owner of Chelsea.
The Mirror says Raine set a deadline of Friday as D Day when they will accept bids from consortiums, billionaire tycoons and interested parties before selecting a preferred bidder.
They are expecting at least six serious bids which may be whittled down before a decision is made about which offer is best to proceed.
Even though Friday has been set as the deadline, the selection process is almost certain to go into next week and it could be drawn out for some time yet.
The deadline has been set for buyers to provide proof of funds, their vision and business plan and also a timescale of how long it will take to complete.
It will be an exhaustive process to find a successor for Roman Abramovich who has been sanctioned by the UK Government because of his alleged links to Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Raine have been appointed as the brokers to oversee the deal and will have to choose the best buyer not necessarily based on the biggest offer but who can provide the best long term vision for the club.
Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck and director Marina Granovskaia are likely to have some input after being reported to have met prospective buyers and will offer guidance.
They will choose the best option, then apply to the Government for a licence to facilitate the takeover and the Government will oversee the whole process to ensure that Abramovich does not profit in any way.
The proceeds effectively go into a Government holding account as they have put a freeze on Abramovich's assets after announcing sanctions against him last week,
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