A conclusion to the Premier League's investigation into Chelsea is hoped before the end of March, with both league and club officials reportedly negotiating a financial settlement rather than a sporting punishment.

The Blues have been under investigation since November 2023 after leaked documents appearing to show breaches of financial rules emerged. These documents appeared to display 'secret payments' under previous owner Roman Abramovich and are valued at tens of millions of pounds.

Abramovich sold Chelsea to American billionaire Todd Boehly and his consortium in May 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The war saw the Russian oligarch’s assets in Britain frozen.

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And the latest update from the The Times, who initially revealed the leaked documents, explains the new two-month timescale of proceedings along with exact details of the apparent payments.

They write that Chelsea are hopeful of agreeing a financial settlement with the Premier League much like the £8.6m settlement with UEFA in July 2023 for breaching Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules under the previous ownership.

This would be instead of a sporting punishment such as a points deduction, and club officials are confident the league will agree to this because of two factors.

The first is that that the alleged irregularities occurred over 10 years ago under the old ownership, relating to the transfer payments for Willian and Samuel Eto'o from now-defunct Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala in 2013 plus Eden Hazard's signing from Lille in 2012.

Added to that, it is argued by Chelsea that the matter would have not come to light if not for the necessary due diligence process which is part of the Premier League's requirements for purchasing a club.

Whilst the normal punishment for such offences would be tough, the Premier League's rules allow for a 'sanction agreement' between its board and a club, which must then be ratified by the league’s Judicial Panel.

Sanction agreements can still include a points deduction though the Blues are reported to insist that a financial payment would be a settlement rather than a sanction.

Last August Premier League chief exec Richard Masters had said the investigation was 'reaching a conclusion'.