Nick Candy has offered to give Chelsea fans a place on the club’s board if his bid to acquire the Stamford Bridge club is successful.
Mr Candy, 49, is expected to make the suggestion a core element of his case to acquire Chelsea, a club he has followed since childhood.
Ahead of a deadline for offers at the end of this week, the London-based billionaire is in negotiations with financiers about joining his bid.
Mr Candy has also offered to provide short-term money to Chelsea, which faced Newcastle in the Premier League on Super Sunday, if the club encounters a cash emergency as a result of owner Roman Abramovich’s sanctioning.
His offer would be contingent on Chelsea’s compliance with the government’s stringent terms imposed as part of the license obtained last week that allows the club to continue operating.
Russia’s war on Ukraine has thrown last season’s Champions League winners into disarray, with Mr Abramovich first proposing to place the club in the care of its foundation before formally putting it up for sale.
Mr Candy’s idea to give Chelsea fans a board seat underlines his opinion that fans should have a real say in the operation of one of the world’s most prestigious clubs.
His statement comes as the government prepares to reply to Tracey Crouch, the former sports minister, who produced a study of football governance earlier this year.
A ‘golden share’ in clubs that would protect vital components of their tradition was one of Ms Crouch’s main recommendations.
On Sunday, a representative for Nick Candy told Sky News: “We are encouraged by the news that the club will be sold swiftly.
“After a week of considerable anxiety, this is an encouraging development for fans.
“Mr Candy is passionate about the club’s future and feels that the supporters and community are essential to its success.
“If his campaign is successful, Mr Candy would advocate for a fan representative to be appointed to the board of directors so that fans may participate in the decision-making process.
“If the club needs money to operate in the short term, Mr Candy would be delighted to assist in securing the funds it needed, subject to government sanction.”
Mr Nick Candy, whose interest in purchasing Chelsea was exposed by Sky News last weekend, intends to attend Sunday’s home match against Newcastle at Stamford Bridge, according to a spokeswoman.
Even after the government declared that Mr. Abramovich would be sanctioned, cutting off the club’s main source of funding for the past two decades, the field of potential bids for Chelsea has continued to grow.
This weekend, Sky News reported that another London-based property executive, Jonathan Goldstein, had joined the partnership led by LA Dodgers fan Todd Boehly.
Former British Airways and Liverpool FC chairman Sir Martin Broughton, a lifetime Chelsea supporter, is reportedly in talks to participate in the auction, either in combination with another bidder or as the head of his own consortium.
The numerous unanswered uncertainties concerning the sale of Chelsea now revolve around the amount that a buyer will have to pay, the destination of the money, and Mr Abramovich’s role in deciding who would inherit ownership of the club after nearly two decades in his hands.
The Stamford Bridge outfit had been valued at £3 billion by the Russian-born oligarch, with the net earnings going to a philanthropic foundation set up to help victims of the Ukraine war, but that estimate is now considered as implausible.
Chelsea’s sponsors, including Three UK and Hyundai, the Korean carmaker, stopped their ties with the club last week, and the club was barred from creating new retail shops or selling new match tickets to fans.
The government eased license limitations this weekend, allowing it to spend more money on home matches while also receiving broadcast revenue and prize money.
Bidders have been allowed a few more days to submit offers, with a new deadline set for next Friday.
