John Terry will attempt to protect Chelsea’s “history and heritage” by joining the True Blues Consortium aimed at handing supporters a 10 per cent ownership in the Stamford Bridge club.

Former Chelsea captain Terry has backed the True Blues Consortium’s bold plans to levy funds to buy a stake in Chelsea through a community offering.

Chelsea fans would be able to buy into the set-up from as little as £100, with the True Blues Consortium aiming to work with the club’s eventual new owners on buying a share in the club.

Terry and former Chelsea women’s player Claire Rafferty have put their names to the consortium, with True Blues chiefs having made contact with Raine Group, the bank overseeing Chelsea’s sale.

American-backed bids from LA Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly and Chicago Cubs owners the Ricketts family are among the frontrunners to take over at Chelsea.

Sir Martin Broughton and Lord Sebastian Coe have another potent offering lodged, while Saudi Media Group is another of the bids understood to carry clout, and New York-based bank Raine Group is moving quickly through the process given Chelsea’s need for a fast transfer of ownership.

London-based global investment firm Centricus confirmed its bid to buy Chelsea on Monday, with a consortium comprising four Blues supporters. Centricus co-founder Nizar Al-Bassam and chief executive Garth Ritchie launched the bid, alongside Cheyne Capital hedge fund manager Jonathan Lourie and Talis Capital’s Bob Finch.

Chelsea fan and British property tycoon Nick Candy has secured further funding through another South Korean financial backer, allowing the 49-year-old to submit an improved offer for the Stamford Bridge club. Candy added South Korean investors Hana Financial Group and C&P Sports Group to the bid he submitted on Friday.

Four Chelsea fans are behind London investment firm Centricus’ bid to buy the Blues, pledging “exemplary custodianship” of the Stamford Bridge club.

Global investment specialist Centricus manages a £29 billion fund, with co-founder Nizar Al-Bassam and chief executive Garth Ritchie both big Chelsea fans.

Fellow supporters Cheyne Capital hedge fund manager Jonathan Lourie and Talis Capital’s Bob Finch have joined forces with Centricus for a bid to buy Chelsea that was submitted ahead of Friday night’s deadline.

Centricus is the latest to declare its candidacy to buy Chelsea, revealing its intentions to maintain the Blues’ status as one of the globe’s elite teams.

Chelsea can now expect to have full support at their FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace.

Roman Abramovich’s UK Government sanctions currently bar the Blues from selling any new tickets, but the Football Association has announced it is in talks with the Government over amendments to the club’s operating licence to allow tickets to be sold for next month’s Wembley showdown.

“We hope to have sell-out crowds at both of our Emirates FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley Stadium,” an FA spokesperson said.

“This includes tickets for Chelsea supporters for their match against Crystal Palace, and we are working with the Government on a method to achieve this whilst respecting the sanctions that are currently in place on Chelsea.”

Nick Candy has “significantly” increased his bid to buy Chelsea, a spokesperson for the British property tycoon confirmed.

Chelsea fan Candy has secured further funding through another South Korean financial backer, allowing the 49-year-old to submit an improved offer for the Stamford Bridge club.

Candy added South Korean investors Hana Financial Group and C&P Sports Group to the bid he submitted to New York bank Raine Group on Friday.

But the London billionaire has now further strengthened his hand, in the hope of pushing onto the shortlist of preferred bids being compiled by Raine.

Chelsea supporters view the Ricketts family’s bid to purchase the club with “universal disdain” owing to their political views and donations and want it to be rejected, according to the leader of a prominent fans’ group.

American firm Raine Group is conducting the club’s sale, and a variety of bids from individual billionaires and consortiums have been submitted. One bid has come from the Ricketts family, the owners of the Chicago Cubs.

The bid is being fronted by Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts, whose father Joe came in for heavy criticism in 2012 after calling muslims “the enemy” in the United States.

In 2016, the elder Ricketts donated at least one million dollars to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, while son Pete Ricketts has served as governor of Nebraska since 2014 and has faced criticism for his support of the death penalty, backing of Trump during his impeachment trial, and climate change scepticism.

Now the head of the Chelsea Chicago Supporters Club Brian Wolff says that the family’s bid must be rejected.

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has promised his team will give everything in an unlikely attempt to reel in Premier League pacesetters Manchester City and Liverpool.

The Blues made light of the off-field issues surrounding the club on Saturday evening to ease their way into the FA Cup semi-finals with a comfortable 2-0 sixth round victory at Championship Middlesbrough.

They will hope their ongoing ownership issues are resolved by the time they run out at Wembley next month and in the meantime, will set about the task of attempting to close a 10-point gap to the second-placed Reds, who trail the reigning champions by a single point.

Asked if they could still involve themselves in the race, Tuchel, whose side have lost only once in 14 games in all competitions – on penalties to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final – said: “The problem is they are also on a run since a long time.

“They are like three years on a run, I have the feeling, it seems like they are three years on a run and it’s like our 13 games is not enough.

“We have to be honest. We will never admit anything before things are decided, we will always push ourselves and push ourselves to the limit. We cannot do anything else.”

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel insisted he has been impressed rather than surprised by the way his players have handled the uncertainly surrounding the club.

Asked if he had been surprised, Tuchel said: “They have impressed me – not surprised, but impressed.

“At one point, we needed to accept that we did not cause the situation and we cannot influence the situation, we cannot change the situation no matter what we do and how much we talk about it and how much we worry.”

The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust have had their say on the ownership situation and are adamant that the new owners must create a golden share for fans’ to help safeguard the future of the club.

A statement from the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust read: “The CST has been clear that any new owner must demonstrate their commitment to supporters by creating a golden share for fans.

“We believe it is essential that the new owners listen to supporters and give them a stake in the club. We strongly welcome the bidders who have publicly confirmed their intention to do so.

“We believe that every prospective owner should make this public commitment to protecting the club’s heritage by issuing a golden share for fans. The government should discount any bid unwilling to do so.”

There is an optimism they have the best all-round offer, right up to fan involvement

Other well-placed sources urge more caution, and say to look away from where the noise is coming from. They insist some of the more interested parties have not yet come to light, because they do not feel the need to play this out in public.