Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck and directors, Eugene Tenenbaum and Marina Granovskaia, will have a big say in who will buy the club, according to The Times.
After speaking to one of the potential bidders, Sir Martin Broughton, the newspaper claims that the three individuals will choose the shortlist of three or four preferred bidders.
Once that process is completed, the list will be further whittled down until there is one candidate. They will then undergo further “scrutiny” from the UK Government and the Premier League.
The Government will only give a “licence for sale” once they are sure that none of the proceeds will be handed to current owner Roman Abramovich.
A host of names have been linked with buying Chelsea, including Todd Boehly, Nick Candy, Woody Johnson, the Ricketts family, Broughton and Seb Coe, Centricus and the Saudi Media Group. A decision on the shortlist is expected by tomorrow.