The consortium led by Todd Boehly are said to have been identified as Raine's preferred bidder in the race to buy Chelsea and will be given the chance to enter 'exclusive talks' over a deal.
Things took a drastic twist on Friday afternoon when it emerged that Sir Jim Ratcliffe had launched the latest of late bids to try and force his way to the front of the queue ahead of Boehly, Sir Martin Broughton and Stephen Pagliuca.
Now, the Wall Street Journal claim that Boehly has been pushed ahead of the rest and will be given the chance to hold exclusive discussions over a sale.
Shortly after came confirmation from numerous English sources that Pagliuca had been informed that he had not been selected as the preferred bidder.
There has also been suggestions that Broughton's bid has been dismissed, although Jacob Steinberg has stressed that no such decision has been made at the minute.
It remains to be seen what Raine will think of Ratcliffe's bid, given it arrived long after the well-publicised deadline for offers.
Source : 90min