Roman Abramovich is ready to listen to the offers for Chelsea, as the pressure on his property is growing against the background of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, sources told ESPN.
The 55-year-old tried to separate the club from a possible personal sanction from the UK government by transferring “management and care” for Chelsea to his trustees on Saturday.
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However, sources told ESPN that the trustees were seeking legal advice before responding to Abramovich’s instructions due to fears that the charity was not an appropriate organization to run a football club.
Abramovich, meanwhile, is believed to be seriously considering selling Chelsea to the UK government under growing pressure to freeze the assets of wealthy Russians in Britain with all sorts of alleged ties to Vladimir Putin.
Abramovich has always categorically denied any ties to the Putin regime, and Chelsea have repeatedly insisted that the club is not for sale.
The club did not respond to a request for clarification of this position when they contacted ESPN on Wednesday.
However, if the UK government takes action and punishes Abramovich as one of his assets, Chelsea will be frozen, which means he cannot sell the club or inject funds into the club – something that will have huge consequences for club.
Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003 for £ 140 million. The club’s latest reports show that it owes £ 1.514 billion in loans through the parent company Fordstam Limited, which it controls.
When Chelsea announced their latest accounts – a £ 145.6 million post-tax loss for the year ending 30 June 2021, despite winning the Champions League – the club admitted at the time that it had “relied on Fordstam Limited for its continued financial support “.
Swiss business mogul Hansjörg Vis says Abramovich contacted stakeholders on Tuesday to clarify potential interest.
“Abramovich is currently trying to sell all his villas in England. He also wants to get rid of Chelsea quickly now. I, along with three others, received an offer on Tuesday to buy Chelsea from Abramovich,” Wyss was quoted as saying by the Swiss newspaper. Blick. said in an interview published Wednesday.
Sources told ESPN that Abramovich had told potential buyers in the past that he valued the club at around £ 3 billion.
Weiss added: “Abramovich wants too much right now. You know: Chelsea owes him £ 2 billion. But Chelsea have no money. Which means: those who buy Chelsea have to compensate Abramovich.”
American businessman Todd Bowley was interested in buying a Premier League club in London before the coronavirus pandemic, voicing both Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur just to pique his interest.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Britain’s richest man according to a 2021 Forbes study, had previously held preliminary talks with Abramovich about a possible purchase.
Ratcliffe’s brother Bob, who runs his football division at INEOS, told BBC Radio 5live last month that “we differed significantly in terms of ratings”.
Another complicating factor for another buyer is the difficulty in renovating Stamford Bridge. Complex plans to renovate the 41,800-seat stadium – which included demolishing the existing structure and rebuilding a 61,000-seat site – were postponed by Abramovich in 2018, around the time his UK investor visa expires. The free right of the site is held by Chelsea Pitch Owners and therefore will not be included in any sale of the club.