Chelsea owner Roman Abramovic still waiting for valued bid
Roman Abramovich has received multiple bids for Chelsea but none have yet matched his £3 billion (3.94bn) valuation.
Potential interested parties have until March 15 to submit offers to the New York merchant bank Raine Group, appointed to handle the sale of the club.
Sources have told ESPN that a consortium including Los Angeles Dodgers and LA Lakers part-owner Todd Boehly alongside Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss have already tabled a bid in an effort to push ahead in the race.
Although the exact amount of their offer has not been made public, sources have told ESPN it does not meet Abramovich’s asking price for the reigning world and European champions.
Boehly had a £2.2 billion ($2.89 bn) offer rejected in 2019 and is thought to believe the club has not significantly appreciated in value since then, given the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has put Abramovich under pressure to reconsider his investments in the west.
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Turkish businessman Muhsin Bayrak has claimed he submitted an offer “under £2.5bn ($3.29 bn)” and remains in talks while there is also rumoured interest from the Middle East but as things stand, more credible bidders to Boehly’s group are expected to originate from elsewhere
There is speculation US businessmen Josh Harris, part-owner of the Philadelphia 76ers, and New York Jets owner Woody Johnson are separately considering entering the running. The Ricketts family, who own the Chicago Cubs, have been named as another interested party.
