A consortium led by LA Dodgers owner Todd Boehly is set to be named the preferred bidder for Chelsea, according to the BBC.

The American investor and businessman - who has offered around £2.5bn for the club - has a reported net worth of $4.5bn (£3.6bn) according to Forbes.

He is a part-owner of the Dodgers - a US baseball franchise - and US women's basketball outfit the Los Angeles Sparks, while he also owns a stake in the renowned LA Lakers NBA franchise.

His consortium includes Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss, American PR executive Barbara Charone, British businessman Jonathan Goldstein and British journalist Daniel Finkelstein.

Earlier on Friday, British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe made a £4.25bn offer. Ratcliffe – majority shareholder of chemical group Ineos – pledged to invest £1.75bn into the club over 10 years as part of his submission.

But the offer arrived on Friday morning, weeks beyond the initial deadline for bids to be submitted by 18 March.