The five consortia leading the race to buy Chelsea

Chelsea FC is currently experiencing one of its worst moments institutionally speaking. The London team is looking for a buyer after the departure of tycoon Roman Abramovich due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and it seems that this process is getting closer to coming to an end, after this Friday the final list has been closed to present offers for the club.

Raine Group is the bank that is responsible for managing and registering all proposals. Proposals that, according to various media, exceed 20 offers, although in the end it will be in charge of making a filter so that 2 or 3 possible owners remain. These are the favorites to buy Chelsea, one of the most valued clubs and for which Abramovich paid 200 million euros in 2003.

Nick Candy

One of the consortiums with the most options to buy Chelsea is the one led by real estate developer Nick Candy, who would have submitted an offer, together with the companies Hana Financial Investment Company Limited and C&P Sports Limited, of some 2,300 million euros. .

The consortium is committed to providing financial support to all the club’s teams, both male and female, in addition to building a new stadium. Candy also promised that the fans have representation on the club’s board of directors.

Broughton – Coe

Sir Martin Broughton was former chairman of British Airways and Liverpool FC and has teamed up with Sebastian Coe, chairman of World Athletics, to buy Chelsea, a club he has been a fan of for 67 years (he is currently 74). Broughton commented to the BBC that his consortium was made up of investors from all over the world, but he did not specify how much he offered for the London club. Like Candy, he too is committed to letting fans own Chelsea shares.

“We can provide stability. That’s an important part of having a consortium. When you depend on just one, you run geopolitical risks and financial risks, even health risks, where one incident can create confusion and chaos in the club. A consortium brings stability to long term with like-minded, highly capitalized people who are in it for the long haul,” Broughton said.

Familia Rickets – Griffin

The Rickets family, owners of the American Chicago Cubs baseball team, have teamed up with billionaire Ken Griffin, founder of the Citadel fund, to make a formal offer to Chelsea. As reported Reutersthe offer, which has not come to light, does not involve Citadel, but only its owner.

Ken Griffin is currently ranked 40th among the richest people in the world, according to the Billionaires Index. Bloomberg, with an estimated fortune of 28,000 million euros. He is, of all those interested in buying Chelsea, the person with the most wealth.

Boehly-Wyss

Todd Boehly, co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers (baseball), along with Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss and British businessman Jonathan Goldstein have teamed up to make a purchase offer to Chelsea. They were also joined by former Conservative government adviser Daniel Finkelstein, who stated that he “wants owners who are invested but also insightful and use modern methods to keep our club on top of the world”.

This consortium, which has not disclosed the amount offered, is economically supported by the financial backing of the investment firm Clearlake Capital, which has approximately 55,000 million euros in assets.

Aethel

London-based financial firm Aethel Partners said it had submitted a bid of more than €2.3bn for Chelsea. Furthermore, he stated that he would provide the club with an immediate sum of €60 million to deal with any short-term financial problems.

Limitations

Until the new owner is finally known, Chelsea will remain seriously affected, with limitations that include: not selling tickets or merchandising products and, if nothing changes between now and the next transfer market, they will be prevented from buying, selling and renewing of players. At the moment, the restrictions only allow him to have enough money to pay his salaries and meet current expenses.

For example, in the quarter-final match of the Champions League against Real Madrid you will not be able to count on fans in your stands, since the club’s season ticket sales do not include matches of the highest continental competition, only of the Premier League. All this is marked by the war between Russia and Ukraine, which has ended with the departure of Abramovich after 19 years at the helm of the London club.