Premier League
Chelsea: Abramovic has more than 10 potential buyers of shares
Three new names were announced as potential buyers for Chelsea and many more were added, reaching double digits, according to the bank responsible for the sale of Roman Abramovich’s shares.
Chelsea are up for sale and as European champions, world champions and an elite Premier League team, this is a ‘steak’ for many businessmen looking to succeed Roman Abramovich.
Some names have already come out, but there are also instances of potential buyers who have officially expressed interest but their names have not been revealed.
New York bank Raine Group has taken on the project to find a buyer for the “Blues,” with the deadline for proposals on March 15. Still, there will be no rush at Abramovic’s suggestion. “We’re not going to let anything slip. It’s very important that Chelsea have the right owner to take them forward.”said the bank’s CEO, Joe Ravic.
The well-known candidates
Ravic said there were more than a dozen formal expressions of interest, without specifying names or whether they were accompanied by takeover bids.
Abramovic is demanding an amount of 3,500,000,000 euros for the concession of the “reins”, an amount that in itself makes any deal historic and requires enormous financial comfort from the buyer.
One of the first names to surface after its announcement was that of Hansjörg Weiss. Speaking to Blick newspaper, the 86-year-old Swiss billionaire revealed that they have formed a consortium to acquire Chelsea along with Todd Boelli, co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers (a baseball team that participates in MLB).
It was followed by Turkish billionaire and CEO of construction and investment firm AB Group Holding, Muhsin Bayrak, who claimed in Yeni Safak magazine that he had made an offer and “we will soon bring a Turkish flag to London”.
Net Monday, Goal revealed that a Saudi consortium led by Saudi Media, a company that finances media, sports brands and advertising in the Arab world, has also entered the “Bay”.
On the same day, ESPN reported that Robert Johnson, owner of the New York Jets (NFL team), is also preparing a takeover bid for Chelsea, having previously lived in London as the US ambassador.
The latest name to come to light this Net Monday is Vivek Ranadiv, the owner of the Sacramento Kings. The Indian millionaire has shown interest and all indications are that he is also preparing to propose.
I am a sports writer and journalist who has written for various online publications including Sportish. I’m originally from the UK but currently live in Toronto, Canada. I’m also an author on Sportish and have written several articles on a variety of sports-related topics.