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Swiss-American consortium is preparing to make a bid to buy Chelsea this
weekend as a Turkish businessman claims he has submitted an offer for the
Stamford Bridge club.
Turkish billionaire Muhsin Bayrak says he is trying to buy Chelsea and
although his spokesperson has told us he has made a bid, his claims are
being viewed with some scepticism.
Bayrak is quoted in Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak as saying: "We are
discussing the terms of Chelsea's purchase with Roman Abramovich's lawyers.
We are in the negotiation phase. We will fly the Turkish flag in London
soon."
A spokesperson for Bayrak has told us: "First of all yes the news is true.
We submitted our offer."
Bayrak is chairman of construction and investment company AB Group Holding.
The Swiss-American consortium includes Todd Boehly and Hansjorg Wyss. Boehly
part owns the LA Dodgers and LA Lakers. He is chairman and chief executive
of investment company Eldridge Industries. Wyss is founder and former
president of medical manufacturer Synthes Holding AG.
Boehly tried to buy Chelsea from Abramovich for £2 billion in 2019. He has
made no secret of his desire to buy a top Premier League club.
Raine Group co-founder Joe Ravitch has told Reuters: "We are not going to
rush anything. It is very important that Chelsea have the right owner to
guide the club forward."
A spokesperson for Egyptian businessman and Chelsea season-ticket holder
Loutfy Mansour says he is not bidding to buy the club.
There are only a handful of billionaires who would be able to pay
Abramovich's asking price but any potential sale is complicated by:
- Unease about doing business with Abramovich while he is facing the threat
of being sanctioned by the UK Government.
- Reluctance to do any deals involving Russians because of the invasion of
Ukraine.
- Lack of confidence in global stock markets because of the invasion.
- In the past there has been lots of interest in buying PL clubs from
Russia, China and the Middle East. Unlikely to be the case this time.
- UK Government are preparing legislation which would let them seize the
assets of sanctioned individuals without having to pay them compensation.
MMA fighter Conor McGregor would likely fall outside of that handful of
billionaires, but after hinting he was looking at "exploring" a move for the
club earlier this week, the Irishman posted his own tongue-in-cheek offer
for the club on Friday evening.
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