The Washington Commanders could be set to be sold for as much as $7billion (£6.1bn) within the coming months after current owner Dan Snyder has made his intentions clear to sell the franchise.
Much-maligned Snyder has owned the Washington franchise for over 20 years (since 1999) and is said to have much more interest than had been originally expected which will likely see the number rise higher than what the Denver Broncos were sold for earlier this year - when Walmart heir Rob Walton paid $4.65bn (£4bn) to acquire the franchise.
Snyder has hired Bank of America to explore the sale of the team, with it originally being unclear if he would sell the entire team or just add a minority partner to the mix.
However, NFL insider Ian Rapoport has now reported that Snyder is likely to sell the entire team, with Amazon owner Jeff Bezos alongside rapper and entrepreneur Jay-Z being linked as a party to take over ownership, as TMZ Sports reported.
Rapoport said : "Dan Snyder will consider all options to a possible sale. No-one actually truly knows what Dan Snyder will do, but based on conversations I have had is that the belief is that he will sell the entire franchise.
"The Bank of America, will be handling proceedings, has received considerable interest - much more than anyone anticipated meaning that the number could start with a 6 or 7. The new owner will be build a new stadium, and I am told that a timeframe (for a sale) will be the March meeting, that is certainly possible."
Since taking ownership of the Washington franchise in 1999, the team and Snyder have had little success on-the-field, with their off-field issues marred with controversies and accusations.
Two years ago, an investigation was opened after reports of sexual harassment against female employees was prevalent within the franchise.
The Commanders were hit with a fine of $10million (£8.7m) with owner Synder being instructed to step away from Washington's day-to-day operations.
The franchise also remains in a criminal investigation in which they are are accused of financial malpractice for allegedly defrauding season ticket holders out of deposits and improperly withholding ticket revenue from NFL teams - something the franchise has denied.
Chelsea FC owner Todd Boehly is also reportedly interested in bidding for the team. Chelsea became Boehly's third-team to take ownership of after the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Sparks.
