The tycoon tries to save his image. “I will not ask for a loan. It has never been a business or a money for me, but a pure passion for the game and the club. The foundation will benefit all victims of the war in Ukraine, including providing critical funds for the urgent and immediate needs of the victims, as well as supporting the long-term recovery task. “, says his statement. As published The Guardian, The amount of loans Abramovich has lent to Chelsea, which he says he will not claim, would exceed £ 1.5 billion (about € 1.8 billion). This is the money that the oil-linked businessman has injected into the club since he took over in 2003, when he bought it for 100 million pounds (about 170 million euros).
Potential buyers
Before taking that step, Abramovich had already explained this week that he was moving away from Chelsea’s day-to-day management and handing over the responsibilities to the club’s foundation. Finally, he puts it up for sale. Hansjörg Wyss, an 86-year-old Swiss billionaire, said in a recent interview with the newspaper view that both he and three other people received an offer on Tuesday to buy the London club. “I don’t know exactly what the sale price is, but it’s too high. If I buy Chelsea, it will be with a consortium of six or seven investors, “said Wyss. The businessman has also revealed that Abramovich is trying to sell all his properties in the UK. In fact, some reports suggest that the club’s owner is still putting its assets up for sale in Europe at the risk of being frozen or seized as part of sanctions being imposed on all Russian oligarchs linked to Putin. In fact, the leader of the Labor Party, Keir Starmer, was asked this Wednesday in the control session of the British Parliament why Abramovich had not yet been sanctioned. Regarding the transfer of the club, the journalist of the The New York Times Tariq Panja has also pointed out the interest of Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal al-Saud in buying the London club.
Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003 when the club had not won the league for half a century. However, with the injection of money from his business into the oil world, he made the London club one of the best teams on the continent. The signing of coach José Mourinho was one of his first big moves and almost a decade later, Chelsea is the team that has spent the most money on signings, with a total investment of 2.34 billion euros. Since its purchase, Chelsea have won 19 trophies, including five Premier Leagues, two Champions and a Club World Cup, just a few weeks ago. In fact, this was the last sporting event in which he accompanied his team live to the final in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
