Roman Abramovich’s sale of Chelsea’s U. S. investment bank, Raine Group, enters the final stages with the last remaining bidders entering the fray.
There are believed to be 27 consortia of billionaires, hedge funds and high-net-worth players recording their cash deals with their plans for the future.
The deadline is Friday 21:00 UK time (17:00 EST) for senior partners to officially submit their proposals and offers, in which case they will be whittled down to just a few before a final decision is made.
First of all, this is not necessarily a bidding war, as winners will be selected more based on their abilities to run a major sports organization.
Any offer to come with partial ownership of a fan or a seat on the board for supporters will be welcome, but will be a requirement of the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
They also have potential buyers to dedicate themselves to maintaining business in the women’s team, the academy and the Chelsea Foundation.
At the same time, any proposed expansion of Stamford Bridge, which remains small for a club of Chelsea’s length, would also be noticeable in a light.
The first organization to publicize the acquisition of Chelsea Todd Boehly and Hansjorg Wyss, who have since added London asset developer Jonathan Goldstein to their ranks.
They also recruited Danny Finkelstein, a former adviser to the UK government, and Barbara Charone, a public relations executive with clients such as Madonna, Rod Stewart and Foo Fighters, into their ranks as non-executive directors if their bid was successful. The duo are among the Blues’ biggest fans and attend home games.
The Ricketts family, from Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Chicago Cubs, has teamed up with hedge fund leader Ken Griffin to make a bid.
Also from the United States, Woody Johnson, owner of the NFL’s New York Jets, will submit a 2 billion pound ($2. 6 billion) bid for West Londoners.
There are UK offers with Aethel Partners, a financial institution in London, proposing a £2 billion ($2. 6 billion) proposal with an additional £50 million ($66 million) to cover the costs of this dubious period. Although founded in the United Kingdom, the company is run by Portuguese businessman Ricardo Silva.
London luxury asset developer and Chelsea supporter Nick Candy has made public his interest in buying Chelsea. Lately he is applying with blues legend Gianluca Vialli’s Tifosy Capital and Advisory to raise funds.
Lord Sebastian Coe, a Conservative MP, Chelsea supporter and former athletics athlete, is vying to buy the Blues along with Liverpool fan and former chairman Sir Martin Broughton.
Creative Artists Agency’s investment bank, Evolution Media Capital, is also backing Broughton and Coe. There are fears that this may just be insider information, as the CAA owns the world’s largest football agency.
In addition to the UK and the US, there are other players, the most notable option being Saudi Media. The Chelsea-led consortium supports Mohamed Alkhereiji, also chief executive of parent company Engineer Holding Group.
Although Alkhereiji has worked and lived in the UK for a long time, it remains to be seen whether being from Saudi Arabia will negatively affect her application.
They have extensive plans for Chelsea, adding the replacement of blouse sponsor Three with a Middle East and the redevelopment of Stamford Bridge.
Group C of South Korea
“Never before has an investment been made in a top-level club through the capital of South Korea. It’s time for a change. “
Turkish billionaire Muhsin Bayrak, chairman of AB Grup Holding, has expressed and “wants to wave the Turkish flag at Stamford Bridge. “However, several resources have downplayed his role as a favorite.
The FT added that US investment corporation Oaktree had made a bid for Chelsea, but sources close to the corporation declined to comment.
British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe has already expressed interest in buying Chelsea before securing the French side from Nice in 2019. However, he has since withdrawn his interest after Abramovich put the club up for sale.
There are believed to be about a dozen other offers that have yet to be made public.
John Terry manages £250 million ($329 million) from a secret consortium ‘True Blue’ to put supporters at the centre of the club, through NFTs and fan tokens. Similarly, an organization called ChelseaDAO (a decentralized autonomous organization) says it is looking to buy a 10% stake to allow enthusiasts to express their opinion through Ethereum cryptocurrency fan tokens.
It was hoped that it would be finished as soon as possible to minimise the prices felt throughout the club. Every day the club is sanctioned damages the Blues’ back line and can lead to money flow disorders down the road.
There is a preference for striking a temporary deal to ensure Chelsea can return without sanction so that the club can operate as often as possible.