Since Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich confirmed that he was ready to sell Chelsea football club, there have been a series of reports on who could succeed him at the Premier League side.
Abramovich who bought Chelsea in 2003 for less than 150 million pounds decided to sell the club after increased pressure on him and the club due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Even though he handed over the control of the club to the trustees of the club’s charitable foundation, the club was not exempted from the criticism Abramovich has been subjected to due to his link with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
Hence, he is ready to leave the United Kingdom’s economy by selling off everything linked to him in the country including his beloved Chelsea football club. But before he can let it go, his potential successor must pay nothing less than three billion pounds.
Reports claimed that Abramovich has hired a broker in the United States to find a buyer who can pay between three to 3.5 billion pounds for Chelsea.
Below are four of the major contenders for the ownership of Chelsea so far
- Hansjorg Wyss
Hansjorg Wyss is seen as the major contender for the heart of the Chelsea football club. The 86-year-old Swiss billionaire has said earlier before Abramovich confirmed that he was willing to sell Chelsea that he has been contacted to buy the club.
Wyss said he might buy the club alongside three other unnamed investors. The Swiss billionaire is worth £4.3billion and he is the owner of an American medical device company known as Synthes.
In an interview on Tuesday, Wyss said: “Abramovich is trying to sell all of 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 owes him £2billion. But Chelsea have no money. Anyone who buys Chelsea must compensate Abramovich.
“As of today, we don’t know the exact selling price. I can well imagine starting at Chelsea with partners. But I have to examine the general conditions first.”
As it stands, Hansjorg Wyss does not have to worry about what Chelsea owes Abramovich as the Russian billionaire has said in a statement on Wednesday that he has written off the debt.
- Sir Jim Ratcliffe
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is seen as one of the favorites to buy Chelsea. Though Ratcliffe is a famous Manchester United fan, he is a holder of Chelsea’s season ticket at Stamford Bridge.
In 2019, Ratcliffe who currently owns a French football club, Nice, attempted to buy Chelsea but Abramovich turned him down.
The 69-year-old British billionaire who owns a multi-national chemicals company Ineos is worth £20billion. Ratcliffe reportedly said he has had talks with some representatives of Chelsea over the ownership of the club but he is not happy with the £3b price tag on the club and the fact that Chelsea is using a ranted stadium.
“There was some early exchange but we were a significant way apart on valuations,” Ratcliffe told BBC Five Live. “The issue with Chelsea is its stadium. We are all getting older and it is a decade of your life to resolve that.”
- Todd Boehly
Todd Boehly is another billionaire that might be the owner of Chelsea in the coming weeks. The American billionaire attempted to buy the Premier League side twice in 2019.
At the time of publishing this report, Todd Boehly has reportedly formed a consortium to buy the Premier League side. The 46-year-old American businessman is worth £4.72billion and he is the CEO of Eldridge Industries. He has investments in sport, media, technology, and real estate.
Boehly has stakes in Major League Baseball franchise the Los Angeles Dodgers and the basketball side the LA Lakers.
- Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor is more or less the joker on the list. The 33-year-old Irish mixed martial artist has made it public that he wants to buy the Premier League side.
McGregor is a Manchester United fan and claimed in 2021 that he was interested in buying United.
However, when Abramovich confirmed that he wanted to sell Chelsea, the British fighter took to Twitter to write: “I wish to explore this, Chelsea”.
The Irish fighter is reportedly worth about 135 million pounds and can only stand a chance of owning the club if he forms a strong consortium.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel on Roman Abramovich selling the club: “It's big news and will be big change, but I am also never afraid of change and I'll focus on what I can influence”, he told @AdamNewson. 🔵 #CFC pic.twitter.com/NeFT53mGtb
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 2, 2022
