What’s next for Chelsea after the departure of Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich? While trainer Thomas Tuchel is getting more and more annoyed with this question from day to day, the first interested parties are now getting in touch. The Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss confirmed in the Swiss “Blick”: “I and three other people received an offer on Tuesday to buy Chelsea from Abramovich.”
However, an agreement is still a long way off. “I now have to wait four to five days. Abramovich is currently asking far too much. I can well imagine joining Chelsea with partners,” Wyss continued. Abramovich’s ideas for the sales price are currently said to be the equivalent of 2.4 billion euros. “I’m definitely not going to do something like this on my own. If I buy Chelsea, I’ll do it with a consortium consisting of six to seven investors.” These partners would probably come from the USA.
4.5 billion euros assets
The 86-year-old is one of the richest men in the world. The US magazine Forbes estimates his net worth at 4.5 billion euros. He has lived in the USA for decades. There he managed a company for medical technology, which he sold in 2012 to the US company Johnson & Johnson for a profit of billions. It promotes and finances numerous educational institutions and environmental protection projects.
Abramovich announced on Saturday that he intends to hand over the administration of the English Champions League winners Chelsea to the administrators of the football club’s charitable foundation. The oligarch had previously come under increasing criticism for his closeness to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Demands for sanctions against the Chelsea owner grew louder. According to a “Times” report, there are fears in London that Abramovich could sell off his possessions in Great Britain before sanctions – such as the freezing of his assets – can harm him. Labor MP Chris Bryant, for example, warned in Parliament this week that the oligarch would sell his properties in London.
Solid athletic performance
In terms of sport, Chelsea FC is solid. In the Champions League, promotion to the quarter-finals after the 2-0 win in the first leg against Lille is probably just a matter of form. They are third in the English Premier League behind Manchester City and Liverpool. And in the English FA Cup, the Londoners met Luton in the round of 16 yesterday.
Source: Nachrichten
