{"id":1026623,"date":"2022-03-19T15:50:39","date_gmt":"2022-03-19T15:50:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/03\/19\/chelsea-who-are-the-potential-bidders\/"},"modified":"2022-03-19T15:50:39","modified_gmt":"2022-03-19T15:50:39","slug":"chelsea-who-are-the-potential-bidders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/03\/19\/chelsea-who-are-the-potential-bidders\/","title":{"rendered":"Chelsea: Who are the potential bidders?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"Chelsea
Chelsea flags<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

With the Friday deadline for the sale of Roman Abramovich\u2019s Chelsea approaching, BBC Sport recaps who the major interested parties are so far.<\/p>\n

The official deadline to purchase the west London Premier League club is 17:00 GMT on Friday 18 March, although some final bids are likely to be submitted into the weekend as known parties are to ask for more time.<\/p>\n

There are still more than 20 interested parties, but the number of confirmed bids is likely to be 10-15.<\/p>\n

Chelsea \u2013 with the American investment firm Raine Group handling the sale \u2013 will make the final decision from a shortlist next week, with the preferred bidder also requiring government approval. Any sale will also need to be signed off by the Premier League\u2019s owners and directors test \u2013 known as the \u2018fit and proper person\u2019s test\u2019.<\/p>\n

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The asking price for the reigning Champions League and Club World Cup champions is said to be around \u00a33bn \u2013 although that has been described as \u201cexcessive\u201d by some.<\/p>\n

Russian billionaire Abramovich\u2019s initial attempt to sell Chelsea was halted after he was\u00a0sanctioned by the UK government\u00a0following Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, with Abramovich understood to have strong ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.<\/p>\n

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  • Who are the potential bidders for Chelsea?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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    1. A consortium led by ex-Liverpool chairman\u00a0Sir Martin Broughton,\u00a0<\/strong>and joined by London 2012 chief\u00a0Lord Coe<\/strong><\/li>\n
    2. The Ricketts family<\/strong>, who own Major League Baseball team the Chicago Cubs, are leading a bid from a group of investors<\/li>\n
    3. Swiss billionaire\u00a0Hansjorg Wyss<\/strong>\u00a0and US businessman\u00a0Todd Boehly<\/strong>\u00a0have formed part of a consortium to try to take over Chelsea. Now joined by American PR executive\u00a0Barbara Charone<\/strong>, British businessman\u00a0Jonathan Goldstein<\/strong>\u00a0and British journalist\u00a0Daniel Finkelstein<\/strong><\/li>\n
    4. London-based investment firm\u00a0Aethel Partners<\/strong>, headed by Portuguese entrepreneur Ricardo Silva<\/li>\n
    5. British multi-millionaire businessman\u00a0Nick Candy,\u00a0<\/strong>supported by former Chelsea striker\u00a0Gianluca Vialli<\/strong>, who co-owns Tifosy, a mergers and acquisitions company for the football sector<\/li>\n
    6. Turkish billionaire\u00a0Muhsin Bayrak<\/strong>\u00a0says he is one of those to have launched a bid<\/li>\n
    7. Other parties reported to be interested include US billionaire and Philadelphia 76ers owner\u00a0Josh Harris<\/strong>\u00a0who has a stake in Crystal Palace,\u00a0New York Jets owner Woody Johnson\u00a0and a\u00a0Saudi Arabia-based consortium.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003 for \u00a3140m but in his\u00a0statement\u00a0announcing his intention to sell he said his ownership had \u201cnever been about business nor money, but about pure passion for the game and club\u201d.<\/p>\n

      He values the club at \u00a33bn and has loaned the club \u00a31.5bn \u2013 but said he will not ask for any loans to be repaid. Abramovich has also said proceeds of the sale would be donated to war victims.<\/p>\n

      The funds from the sale could go to a charitable organisation or into a frozen account.<\/p>\n

      Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has said the \u00a33bn price tag \u201cdoes seem excessive\u201d given the size of Stamford Bridge.<\/p>\n

      \u201cMost commentators take the view that it\u2019s not big enough to generate the money that somebody would want going forward,\u201d Maguire said. \u201cThere is no capacity to increase Stamford Bridge given where it\u2019s located in London so therefore moving elsewhere in London would be very expensive indeed.\u201d<\/p>\n

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      • How quickly could the sale go through?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Abramovich has owned Chelsea since 2003, with the club winning 21 trophies during his tenure. He had his British assets, which include Chelsea, frozen by the UK government and was disqualified as a director of the club by the Premier League.<\/p>\n

        The Blues are allowed to continue operating after\u00a0a special licence was issued by the UK government,<\/p>\n

        This also ensures Chelsea\u2019s staff are paid and allows existing season ticket holders to attend matches, but a new licence will need to be issued for the club to be sold.<\/p>\n

        Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said earlier this month: \u201cThe quickest one [sale of a club] we\u2019ve done is 10 days, but that\u2019s not to say it can\u2019t be beaten.<\/p>\n

        \u201cNormally it\u2019s a matter of weeks but it depends on the complexities and the number of potential owners.\u201d<\/p>\n

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