Amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the ongoing talk of international sanctions on the nation and its associates, the club’s owner Roman Abramovich has become open to selling Chelsea, a report in the Telegraph says.
The threat of sanctions amid the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian crisis has put the billionaire oligarch in a tough spot. Abramovich, one of the individuals named by several powerful figures as a key enabler and associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is the owner of Chelsea, which he is looking to sell before he gets hit by sanctions and has his assets frozen.
Reports claim that Abramovich is looking at a valuation of 4 billion pounds to sell Chelsea and, as per one of the interested parties, has been offering the club around. The individual in question is Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss, who stated in a recent interview that Abramovich is looking to rid his English assets and has offered Wyss – and a few other people – the chance to buy Chelsea quickly.
“Abramovich is trying to sell all his villas in England, he also wants to get rid of Chelsea quickly. 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 currently asking far too much. You know, Chelsea owe him £2billion. But Chelsea has no money. As of today, we don’t know the exact selling price.”
he told media outlet Blick.
While Wyss is mulling over whether or not to solidify an approach to buy Chelsea, he is also unwilling to do it alone. The 86-year-old is looking to bring more investors on board with him, given the scale of any potential deal.
Abramovich recently backed away from Chelsea by giving up the stewardship of the club to the Chelsea Foundation, a move that has not been received well by people both inside and outside the club. The Russian oligarch, who bought the Blues in 2003, is owed a whopping 2 billion in debt by the club.
