Chelsea has weeks to complete sale, says UK minister

[April 29, 2022]   LONDON (Reuters) - Premier League club Chelsea is on borrowed time and only has weeks to complete its sale, Britain's Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport told the BBC on Thursday.

Soccer Football - Premier League - Chelsea v West Ham United - Stamford Bridge, London, Britain - April 24, 2022 General view of the corner flag inside the stadium before the match REUTERS/Hannah Mckay

Chelsea were put up for sale by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich before sanctions were imposed on the oligarch by the British government over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, leaving the club unable to sign new players or renew existing contracts.

Final bids for the club were submitted earlier this month.

"Chelsea is very much on borrowed time at the moment. There is a very short window left for that sale to take place. It has to happen soon," Nadine Dorries told the BBC's Newscast podcast.

Asked what would happen if that window closed without Chelsea being sold, Dorries declined to say, but added that the club had "weeks" to be sold.

(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; Editing by Toby Davis)

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