Roman Abramovich is ready to listen to offers for Chelsea, with Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss claiming he and three other parties have been invited to bid for the club.
Abramovich is expected to receive offers for Chelsea by the end of the week. Chelsea have repeatedly insisted the club is not for sale, but Abramovich is under growing pressure to sell with the threat of Government sanctions hanging over him.
There is a sense Abramovich could be left with no other option as he faces calls to have his assets frozen and seized following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Chelsea are usually quick to dismiss talk of Abramovich selling the club. But Chelsea and a spokesperson for Abramovich did not respond to questions about his intentions when contacted by Standard Sport.
Wyss, an 86-year-old who lives in America and is worth £4.36billion, has claimed Abramovich “wants to get rid of Chelsea quickly”.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the British billionaire chairman of Ineos, has previously been interested in buying Chelsea. But it has been reported that he is focused on his French club Nice and not interested in buying a Premier League team.
Bloomberg reported last week that sports investors and private equity firms, including from the United States, had started to put together takeover bids. Interested parties could look to move swiftly in case Abramovich is sanctioned by the UK Government, at which point it is unlikely a sale would be permitted.
Abramovich has reportedly rejected offers worth £2.2bn for Chelsea in the past. The club’s debt to him is £1.51bn, which he would almost certainly expect to be covered.
MP Chris Bryant claimed in Parliament yesterday that Abramovich, who has owned Chelsea since 2003, is selling his homes in the capital and severing his ties with the UK.
“Abramovich is trying to sell all his villas in England, he also wants to get rid of Chelsea quickly,” Wyss told the Swiss newspaper Blick. “I and three other people received an offer on Tuesday to buy Chelsea from Abramovich. I have to wait four to five days now. Abramovich is asking far too much.
“You know, Chelsea owe him £2bn. But Chelsea has no money. As of today, we don’t know the exact selling price.”
Potential buyers have been encouraged by Abramovich’s move to try to hand the day-to-day running of Chelsea to the board of trustees of the club’s charitable foundation.
Chelsea have insisted that move was an attempt to put distance between himself and Chelsea, but there is a sense the club is on the market.
That sudden move from Abramovich to hand over “stewardship and care” of Chelsea has since hit obstacles amid concerns of the trustees, who have since reported a “serious incident” to the Charity Commission.
While that is a procedural matter, there remains the possibility Abramovich will have to rethink his plans to hand over control.
The 55-year-old has not been sanctioned at a time when the UK Government is targeting oligarchs in response to the crisis in Ukraine.
But there are increasing calls for him to be included in those sanctions, with Bryant yesterday using Parliamentary privilege, which protects MPs from legal proceedings, to suggest that Abramovich was taking steps to avoid his assets being frozen.
The sale of his 15-bedroom mansion situated just behind Kensington Palace would go through today, the Labour MP alleged in the Commons.
Bryant also suggested Abramovich’s flat in Chelsea’s Cheyne Terrace is being sold. The Rhondda MP told Home Secretary Priti Patel: “I think [Mr Abramovich] is terrified of being sanctioned, which is why he’s going to sell his home tomorrow, and sell another flat as well.
“My anxiety is that we’re taking too long about these things.”
Chelsea face Luton in the FA Cup tonight and yesterday manager Thomas Tuchel reiterated he did not expect Abramovich’s decision to relinquish the running of Chelsea, while still being owner for now, to impact on him.
“I think that for me, as a coach, and in charge of the first team, that decision does not change too much the daily business,” Tuchel said.
