London-based equity firm, Aethel Partners have become the latest bidder for Chelsea.

On Thursday, they submitted an offer in excess of £2bn, ESPN reports.

It is understood the bid includes an immediate £50m investment to prevent the club from becoming insolvent.

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Chelsea continues to operate under a strict licence, after the UK government imposed several sanctions on its owner, Roman Abramovich, over his alleged ties to Russia President Vladimir Putin.

The bid is solely funded by Aethel Partners, without any celebrity or independent billionaire backing.

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The New York-based merchant bank Raine Group, who were appointed to manage the sale, have set a deadline of 9pm GMT on Friday for the final submission of bids.

Two or three preferred offers will then be identified and put forward.

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It is understood that the total number of offers received is between 15 and 30.