The Russian national has been a close ally to President Putin for some years.
‘He would likely try to walk away from the club . . . which would create a problem for Chelsea because it would have to be sold or go out of business. Who would buy Chelsea with a £2billion loan [to repay]?’
Neither Chelsea nor Abramovich’s representatives have commented on the situation, while there is increasing speculation that the Russian might be inclined to sell the club., several sports investors and private equity firms have begun drawing up potential takeover offers.Chelsea have ‘already fielded one enquiry this month’, with Ineos founder and chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe said to be interested – though he was previously put off by the price tag quoted.
The west London club is valued at £1.5billion by KPMG and a takeover would therefore be the largest deal in football history, dwarfing the £300m Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund spent on Newcastle at the end of last year. Ratcliffe has long been interested in buying Chelsea and even held preliminary talks, but was put off by the costs of redeveloping the club’s stadium and infrastructure.
‘There were some early exchanges but we were a significant way apart on valuations,’ Sir Jim’s brother Bob, who runs the football division at Ineos, told BBC 5 Live recently. ‘The issue with Chelsea is its stadium. We are all getting older and it is a decade of your life to resolve that.’
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