Chelsea news: Roman Abramovich has already received offers for the club
- Planet Sport writer
- 3 March 2022
Roman Abramovich has already received several serious bids in the region of £3billion to buy Chelsea, according to reports.
Stamford Bridge chiefs are believed to still be at the stage of accepting bids for the club.
There is an expectation that there will be more offers for the reigning European champions and Chelsea's bosses will review the bids once all credible offers are submitted.
Russian-Israeli billionaire Abramovich pledged to follow due process in his sale when announcing his intention to end his 19-year ownership of Chelsea in a statement on Wednesday night.
Speaking to the media in Switzerland, billionaire Hansjorg Wyss announced his intention to bid for Chelsea, and has USA business magnate Todd Boehly as the first major partner of a consortium that continues to take shape.
Blues owner Abramovich will donate around £2billion to a new charitable foundation to support victims of Russia's war with Ukraine.
And Abramovich promised not to take a single profit of the sale with all proceeds barring transaction costs to be ploughed into the new charitable foundation.
Abramovich made the decision to sell Chelsea on Wednesday after almost two decades at the helm, having led the Blues to 21 trophies during his tenure, including five Premier League titles.
Statement from Roman Abramovich.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) March 2, 2022
The Blues owner publicly stated his intentions to sell up in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
A number of high-profile politicians have called in Parliament for Abramovich to come under UK Government sanctions, amid claims of links to Russia's political situation.
However, it is believed that Government organisations have been unable to prove reasonable grounds for sanctions against further Russian oligarchs.
It is understood that Abramovich has even been attempting to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
After 19 years at Stamford Bridge and transforming the face of English football forever however, Abramovich's time as Chelsea owner is close to an end.
Abramovich is understood to consider now the right time to sell Chelsea, in small part after completing the set of major global trophies when the Blues lifted the Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi last month.
"Please know that this has been an incredibly difficult decision to make, and it pains me to part with the club in this manner. However, I do believe this is in the best interest of the club," said Abramovich in his Wednesday night statement.
"It has been a privilege of a lifetime to be part of Chelsea FC and I am proud of all our joint achievements."
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters welcomed Abramovich's decision to put Chelsea up for sale.
Speaking at the Financial Times Business of Football Summit, Masters said: "I think the situation has escalated incredibly quickly over the last seven days and he's come to the right conclusion.
"It's unsustainable in the current environment. It's a welcome decision and obviously, for the sake of everybody, including the fans, as soon as the sale process concludes everyone has certainty."
Asked what would happen regarding the sale if Abramovich were sanctioned by the UK, Masters told the audience in London: "I don't think that will work.
"I think the quickest (sale) we have ever done is 10 days, that's not to say that record can't be beaten but normally it takes a number of weeks."
