The sale of Chelsea is facing minor delays — although officials remain confident it will be completed by the end of May.

Final offers from the four shortlisted bidders have to be in by this Thursday, and it had been hoped that the club would present their preferred option to the Government a week on Thursday.

That is still the intention, and Government officials are willing to work through the Easter break. However, there is concern that issues with the availability of interested parties could delay that date.

The Premier League, who would need to carry out an owners and directors test on the winning bid, want the new regime in place by May 31. That is the date when the licence issued by the Government following the sanctioning of owner Roman Abramovich after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine expires.

Meanwhile, Downing Street has angrily denied reports it was already content to sign off any of the four bids.

The Press Association reported that all four bids would pass Government checks. However, a Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport spokesperson denied that was the case.

‘PA’s reporting is inaccurate and wrong,’ they said. ‘The Government has no role in establishing a preferred bidder for Chelsea Football Club. Assessments of owners and due diligence are a matter for the club and the Premier League, not the Government.

‘Our role is to consider an application for an amended licence that authorises a sale of the club when it comes forward with a preferred bidder.’

The four bidding parties are Boston Celtics co-owner Stephen Pagliuca, a joint venture led by Sir Martin Broughton and Lord Sebastian Coe, Chicago Cubs owners the Ricketts family and the Los Angeles Dodgers part-owners Todd Boehly and Mark Walter, in partnership with UK businessman Jonathan Goldstein.

Chelsea would be open to a fresh bid from outside that group, but one is deemed highly unlikely at this stage.

Each of the quartet are understood to be keen on retaining the services of director Marina Granovskaia, who runs the day-to-day operations of the club and who is known as a shrewd and effective negotiator on transfers and contracts.

The Russian-Canadian has worked for Abramovich throughout her career and is viewed externally as a potential asset in ensuring a smooth transitional process following the takeover.

Whether the 47-year-old would wish to continue at Stamford Bridge remains to be seen.