Exclusive: Roman Abramovich puts Chelsea up for sale as Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss reveals approach
Interested parties are thought to have been told Abramovich wants around £4 billion for the club
ByMatt Law, FOOTBALL NEWS CORRESPONDENT and
Sam Wallace, CHIEF FOOTBALL WRITER2 March 2022 • 11:28am
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Roman Abramovich has put Chelsea up for sale CREDIT: AFP
Roman Abramovich has put Chelsea up for sale by inviting potential buyers to bid for the club this week.
Telegraph Sport exclusively revealed on Tuesday that Chelsea owner Abramovich will receive bids for the club and
Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss has since confirmed he is one of the parties who has been given the opportunity to make an offer.
It is understood that potential buyers have been contacted by the New York-based merchant bank, Raine, claiming to be in charge of the sale of Chelsea.
Chelsea have not responded to the claims of Wyss or the belief that the club is now for sale.
Interested parties are thought to have been told that Abramovich wants around £4 billion for Chelsea, but sources close to the process believe that he can
only expect to receive bids in the region of £2bn.
Abramovich has previously turned down offers worth £2.2bn for Chelsea, while the club’s debt to him is £1.51bn.
Telegraph Sport knows of at least three parties interested in buying Chelsea, with Wyss claiming he is one of four potential buyers to have been contacted.
It is understood that parties have been encouraged to make their best bids by the end of this week, with Abramovich now under huge pressure to sell Chelsea.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has resulted in calls for Abramovich to be sanctioned, despite claims
he has offered support to peace talks between the two countries. The 55-year-old’s spokesperson has not responded to reports he is selling his properties,
including his mansion in Kensington Palace Gardens.
Abramovich has attempted to distance himself from Russian president Vladimir Putin, but, speaking to Swiss newspaper Blick, Wyss said: “Like all other oligarchs, he (Abramovich) is also in a panic. Abramovich is trying to sell all 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 owe him £2bn.
“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. But what I can already say: I'm definitely not doing something like this alone. If I buy Chelsea, then with a consortium consisting of six to seven investors.”
So, buy the club for £2bn, then sell off the assets that you can longer afford to keep on without Abrramovich's money*, and hope to keep them in the prem a-la Mike Ashley's Newcastle. Back where they belong.
*
Could Chelsea spend money without Abramovich’s backing?
Not to the same extent. Chelsea announced losses of £145.6m ($193m) after tax for the year ending June 30, 2021, a period in which they won the Champions League. The debilitating financial effects of the coronavirus pandemic being felt by all clubs — chiefly through the long period of matches behind closed doors that naturally impacted matchday revenue — is a factor now subsiding, but there was no hiding the importance of Abramovich’s money to the club when those figures were released. “The company is reliant on Fordstam Limited for its continued financial support,” read the accounts, which added it expected Fordstam to carry on backing Chelsea “for the foreseeable future.”