Americans Lead The Way In Battle For Chelsea
The owners of US major league teams LA Dodgers and Chicago Cubs are among the 10 consortiums believed to be in the running to acquire Chelsea FC from Roman Abramovich.
The tycoon announced last week he would sell the Premier League club he has owned since 2003 in the wake of sanctions taken against Russia and Russian nationals since the invasion of Ukraine last month. Abramovich is believed to have set an asking price of as much as £4bn for the club, which had a turnover of £416m and posted a loss of £145m after tax for the year to 30th June 2021.
Sky Sports reported that up to 10 parties are considering making bids for Chelsea. Among the leading contenders is Todd Boehly, a major shareholder in Major League Baseball (MLB) team LA Dodgers, who has teamed up with Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss. Boehly tried to buy Chelsea in a £2.2bn deal three years ago, and reports suggest a new £2.5bn bid has already been tabled.
The Ricketts family, which has owned the Chicago Cubs MLB team since 2009, is also believed to be in the running. They previously bid for Italian Serie A club AC Milan back in 2018.
US private equity firm RedBird Capital Partners, which has an 11% stake in Liverpool FC owners Fenway Sports Group, has also been linked.
Other contenders include Turkish tycoon Muhsin Bayrak, who told Sky Sports News that he has already submitted an offer, and property developer Nick Candy. Michael Rubin, the executive chairman of sports merchandise group Fanatics, is also considering a bid according to ESPN.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Ineos Founder and CEO, has reportedly looked at buying Chelsea before, although his spokesperson has distanced him from a move this time. Egyptian businessman Loutfy Mansour, while a Chelsea season-ticket holder, is not likely to bid at this stage.
MMA fighter Conor McGregor claimed on social media on Friday that he was offering £1.5bn for the club.
A deadline of 15th March has reportedly been set for prospective buyers to register their interest with investment bank The Raine Group, which is acting as an agent for the deal. Abramovich will stipulate that any suitors must guarantee they will carry on his policy of investing in players and the club’s stadium and facilities.
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