Chelsea news: Who are the remaining three bidders in the race to buy the Premier League club?

The Chicago Cubs owners cited "unusual dynamics" as the reason for their decision, saying in a statement: "The Ricketts-Griffin-Gilbert Group has decided, after careful consideration, not to submit a final bid for Chelsea FC.

"In the process of finalising their proposal, it became increasingly clear that certain issues could not be addressed given the unusual dynamics around the sales process. We have great admiration for Chelsea and its fans, and we wish the new owners well."

Some Chelsea fans have opposed the bid over historical accusations of Islamophobia, and some even protested outside of Stamford Bridge.

With the Ricketts family deciding to withdraw their bid, the race to buy Chelsea is officially down to just three consortiums.

Here, we take a closer look at all three.

The 74-year-old has compiled his own consortium bid, which includes former IAAF president and two-time Olympic gold medallist Lord Sebastian Coe.

Broughton, who is a former Liverpool and British Airways chairman, is expected to draft in American businessmen Josh Harris and David Blitzer to further bolster his bid.

After joining British American Tobacco in 1971, Broughton rose through the ranks and ultimately became chief executive in 1998.

As well as being a lifelong Chelsea supporter, Broughton also held the position of chairman at Liverpool in 2010 and ushered in a new era for the club following the Reds' sale to Fenway Sports Group.

Broughton isn't the only bidder to bring in the big guns. US businessman and part-owner of the LA Dodgers, Todd Boehly, has drafted in Britain's Jonathan Goldstein, Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss and Mark Walter as partners.

If Boehly is to run Chelsea in the same manner as the MLB's Dodgers, then fans should have high expectations ahead of a possible takeover, considering the current set-up at the famed baseball club has earned widespread plaudits.

What's more, Clearlake Capital investment firm are understood to be providing financial backing to the bid.

Boehly is also the co-founder, chairman and the chief executive of Eldridge Industries - a holding company headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut.

There's more US influence in the third and final bid, as Boston Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca and NBA chairman Larry Tanenbaum co-managing their consortium bid.

Pagliuca is the co-chairman of Bain Capital and has already dipped his toes into football with shares in Serie A club, Atalanta.

His shares in the Italian club would require a reduction should his bid for the Premier League outfit prove successful.

There are other high-profile players involved in the bid, including former Disney chief executive Bob Iger, Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin and businesswoman Elaine Saverin.