Britain’s richest man and Chelsea fan Jim Ratcliffe ‘among three interested groups’ as Roman Abramovich appoints US bankers to seal £3bn sale of the club
- Roman Abramovich has set an asking price of £3bn as Chelsea go up for sale
- The Russian is selling up due to the growing economic sanctions in the UK
- American bank the Raine Group have been instructed to handle the sale
British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe is reportedly among those interested in buying Chelsea after Roman Abramovich confirmed he would be selling the London club.
The Sun claim Ratcliffe – the wealthiest man in the UK – is considering putting in an offer via his Ineos empire.
The 69-year-old has a net worth of £6billion and is a season ticket holder at Stamford Bridge.
It is understood he will face competition from at least two other groups should he make a bid.
Abramovich sensationally confirmed that Chelsea is up for sale on Wednesday, with the Russian oligarch reportedly slapping a £3billion asking price on the London club while also writing off the £1.5billion debt he is owed from it.
In a surprise development, the Russian broke his silence to confirm he is in the process of selling Chelsea FC – with proceeds of the prospective sale to be donated to the victims of war in Ukraine.
MailOnline reported on Wednesday morning that the club had been put on the market, with a view to recouping at least £3billion, as Abramovich seeks to distance himself from Russian President Vladimir Putin and sanctions imposed on Russia by the west over its devastating and illegal invasion of Ukraine.
British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe is reportedly among those interested in buying Chelsea
The oligarch has instructed American bank the Raine Group to handle the sale of the west London side.
Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss claims he has been approached ad is considering making an offer as part of a consortium which includes co-owner of the LA Dodgers Todd Boehly, who has shown previous interest in buying the club.
Abramovich is worth £10.4bn ($12.5bn), according to Forbes, and owns a £150m Kensington mansion, a £22m penthouse, and more than £1.2bn of yachts, private jets, helicopters and supercars in Britain and globally.
Chelsea FC is his most valuable British asset, after the oligarch transformed its fortunes from outside challengers to Premier League giants with the help of Jose Mourinho and huge signings like Didier Drogba, so its sale will be a personal blow to the billionaire industrialist.
The 69-year-old has a net worth of £6billion and is a season ticket holder at Stamford Bridge