Muhsin Bayrak can seemingly get close to matching Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich’s riches as the Turkish billionaire apparently aims to complete a takeover of the west London club.
The Russian indicated his intention to sell the club over the past week - a decision that is set to draw to a close his near 20-year stewardship of the current world and European champions.
After Abramovich had indicated his intentions to cash-in via a written statement on the Blues’ official website, a number of potential successors began emerging - including a consortium consisting of Hansjorg Wyss and Todd Boehly.
Until a deal is sealed, a number of interested parties are likely to continue indicating their interest and that is now true of Turkish billionaire Muhsin Bayrak.
He has already indicated that he has lodged an offer for Chelsea - although how close that is to Abramovich’s asking price remains to be seen.
Speaking in an interview with Turkish outlet Yeni Safak, he said: "We are negotiating the terms of the purchase of Chelsea with Roman Abramovich's lawyers.
"We are in the negotiation phase for the signatures. We will fly the Turkish flag in London soon. We made our offer. Because of the war with Russia and Ukraine in the world. Because they find Turkey safe, they want to get most of the after-sales money in Turkey.
"We are planning to sign soon."
Intriguingly, Bayrak could reportedly match Abramovich’s fortune should he complete a takeover.
According to reports, he is worth up to $11billion (£8.3billion), although that is not actually confirmed.
This is not too far away from the current Chelsea owner’s net worth of $12.4billion (£9.3billion)
Whilst Bayrak appears confident of completing a deal, it appears unlikely that any takeover will be signed off in the next few days.
However, should he assume control, most will surely be intrigued to see whether he replicates the immense amount of investment of Abramovich during his spell with Chelsea.
