According to the latest reports, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is possibly looking to sell the club. The Russian tycoon has been encountering some problems to renew his UK visa in 2018, which has restricted him from attending games on a regular basis at Stamford Bridge and hence the decision. The report also states that Mr Abramovich values the club at $3bn (£2.2bn) and has recently rejected an offer from Los Angeles Dodgers owner Todd Boehly. In fact, the Russian businessman’s last watched competitive match was Chelsea’s victory over Arsenal in the Europa League final last season in Baku.
However, last month, a few reports have also claimed that the Chelsea owner might have reversed his decision to part ways with the ownership of the club after the Blues have started performing well under the tutelage of their new manager Frank Lampard. The former Chelsea midfield ace took the reins to replace Maurizio Sarri at the Bridge right at the start of this season and has done a fantastic job since then, leading the west London club to the fourth place in the Premier League table as well as helping them qualify for the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League competition.
The reports also indicate that Boehly had fallen short of the prescribed valuation by Abramovich. They have linked the Dodgers co-owner with another takeover bid, which sees him make a bid to take over another London club, this time from the North in the form of Tottenham Hotspur.
In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Boehly expressed his interest and enthusiasm for football. He said, “Football is the biggest sport in the world. The passion that the fans have for the sport and the teams is unparalleled. So when you start to think about what you’re trying to build with these teams you’re really trying to win and be part of a community.”
He added, “Opportunity that we had with the Dodgers was really about a partnership with Los Angeles. How are we going to win? How are we going to drive championships? How are we going to build passion? If you look at what the Premier League offers it is all of those things. It is the highest quality play, it’s the best players.”
Boehly also said, “You also have a media market that’s just really developing. One of the great things the Premier League has is that it is on Saturday morning in America. So you have an uncongested time slot that is now fully dominated by Premier League. NBC has done an amazing job bringing that content. When I was growing up there was Pac-Man and Donkey Kong, but certainly, I did not know about Man United, I did not know about Chelsea, I did not know about Tottenham. Kids these days are fully aware of what’s the best and Premier League these days are the best.”
The above statement is evidence enough for Boehly’s interest in the Premier League. Now it is to be seen whether Abramovich lets the west London club out of his hand in the future or not. However, one thing that can’t be denied is the fact that the Russian owner is still pumping money in the west London outfit at present.
