The sale of Chelsea will move into it's final stretch next week.

A decision around the preferred group to take over Chelsea Football Club from sanctioned owner Roman Abramovich is set to be communicated early next week, a source involved in one of the three shortlisted bids has suggested, says the Mirror.

Raine Group, the New York-based merchant bank overseeing the sale on Abramovich's behalf, and the club's board, chiefly directors Bruce Buck and Marina Granovskaia, have been assessing the final offers for the past week and there is a belief that their decision will be communicated soon.

The three groups are backed by American money. They are led by Todd Boehly, a part-owner of the LA Dodgers; Stephen Pagliuca, a Boston Celtics owner who controls the biggest share in Serie A club Atalanta; and a consortium fronted by Sir Martin Broughton but primarily funded by Josh Harris and David Blitzer, minor owners in Crystal Palace.

Once a preferred bidder is named, an application must be made for the terms of the government's operating licence to be amended to allow a takeover to proceed.