It was, in the end, not that surprising when Roman Abramovich revealed he was selling Chelsea FC yesterday.
The Russian is yet to be sanctioned by the UK government in the wake of the conflict in Ukraine and despite his ties to Vladimir Putin, so you wonder if he is acting before any moves are made – and perhaps before a transfer embargo is placed on Chelsea had he stayed….that’s just speculation, but it’s the kind of footballing sanction that would hurt the most.
Abramovich revealed his decision on the official Chelsea website, writing:
“I have always taken decisions with the club’s best interest at heart. In the current situation, I have therefore taken the decision to sell the club, as I believe this is in the best interest of the club, the fans, the employees, as well as the club’s sponsors and partners.”
He confirmed that he would be waiving the outstanding loans he has owed by the Blues, and also revealed that he would be setting up a charitable foundation via which all proceeds from the sale of the Londoners would be given to the victims of the bloodshed in Ukraine.
It is believed that Abramovich values the club at around the £3 billion mark, and there are reports that he has already received offers despite only officially announcing the sale yesterday.
The identity of the potential buyer is not yet known, although via a number of different media sources it is possible to piece together three likely candidates:
Sir Jim Ratcliffe
Perhaps the most popular choice amongst Chelsea fans would be Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who has held a season ticket at Stamford Bridge (despite, according to rumours, supporting Manchester United).
Ratcliffe is, officially, the richest man in Britain, making his money first through chemical engineering and then latterly as an investor.
Residing in Monaco, the 69-year-old from Lancashire already owns Ligue 1 outfit Nice, the Team Sky cycling outfit and, via his Ineos brand, has sponsored New Zealand’s rugby union team and Mercedes F1.
Hansjorg Wyss
He might be 86 years old, but Hansjorg Wyss has shown so signs of slowing down.
The Swiss entrepreneur is a billionaire in his own right following the success of his Synthes Holding AG company. They make metal plates and fixings for broken bones, and in 2012 Wyss sold the firm to medical outfit Johnson & Johnson for $19.7 billion in cash.
These days, he’s more of a philanthropist – apparently, he’s given away more than $277 million to good causes – and political benefactor, but still ranked inside the top 30 wealthiest people on the planet as recently as 2017.
Todd Boehly
The American allegedly made a bid to buy Chelsea back in 2019, which was knocked back by Abramovich, and the suggestion is that he is now back in the game once more.
Boehly owns Eldridge Industries, an investments and private equity firm, and he has a 20% stake in the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team.
He also boasts 27% in NBA team LA Lakers, and is known to be a close associate of Wyss – perhaps they will launch a joint bid?