A change of ownership at Chelsea seems inevitable, with prospective owners told to have bids on the table by close of business this week.
Roman Abramovich - Chelsea's owner for the last nineteen years - is under pressure to sell, with sanctions against the oligarch set to be imposed by the British government.
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the 55-year old announced on Sunday that he was handing over the "stewardship and care" of the Premier League club to trustees of Chelsea’s charitable Foundation.
On Tuesday, Labour MP Chris Bryant informed Parliament, "Roman Abramovich... well, I think he's terrified of being sanctioned, which is why he's already going to sell his home tomorrow. And sell another flat as well.
Bryant's claim was fleshed out by Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss, who told Blick, "Abramovich is currently trying to sell all his villas in England.
"He also wants to get rid of Chelsea quickly now. I, along with three other people, received an offer on Tuesday to buy Chelsea from Abramovich."
'If you can do that, why can't you just seize the football clubs?' | ⚽️
Does @gergilroy have a point here about fans taking over majority ownership of English clubs? | 🤔@GilletteUK | #EffortlessFlow
Full chat ➡️ https://t.co/VN43QBsSTL pic.twitter.com/vXd5EuqB7c— Off The Ball (@offtheball) March 2, 2022
Abramovich has strong links to Russian president Vladimir Putin, and was reportedly the first person to recommend him as Boris Yeltsin's successor.
His billions have bankrolled the most successful period in Chelsea's history, but Putin's invasion of Ukraine has led to a crackdown on wealthy Russians around the globe.
Earlier this week, the EU suspended the assets of another Putin ally, Alisher Usmanov. That's led to Everton suspending their sponsorship deals with Usmanov's companies.
According to the New York Times, Abramovich is looking for $2.5billion (€2.25bn) for the European and world champions.
They report that New York merchant bank Raine Group has been tasked with finding a new Chelsea owner. Such is Abramovich's haste to get out of England, potential buyers have been told to have bids on the table by Friday.
Wyss told Blick that if he was to invest in Chelsea, he would not do so alone and would be part of a consortium of “six or seven investors.”
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