In a matter of days, Chelsea will have new owners, with Roman Abramovich looking to sell the club. The Russian oligarch could be sanctioned in the UK parliament next week, which has forced his hand to sell his beloved club.
In this article, we take a look at five of the prospective buyers that could take the club off of Abramovich.
Chelsea’s next owners – who is most likely to replace Roman Abramovich?
Todd Boehly and Hansjorg Wyss
The partnership of Wyss and Boehly is the most strongly rumoured pair to become the next owners of the club. Wyss owns a medical equipment company, and is valued at under £5 billion. Boehly himself tried to buy the club three years ago with a £2.2 billion bid. As a result, it might be likely that Boehly and Wyss end up acquiring the club in the end.
Vivek Ranadive
Ranadive is finalising his offer for the club, and is among the less likely names to take over. He currently owns Sacramento Kings in the NBA, but hasn’t been able to guide them to a victorious position in the league. As a result, his ambition for the club might prove to be the difference maker.
Muhsin Bayrak
Roman Abramovich is reportedly talking to Bayrak about a potential offer. But, his desire for limelight when it comes to acquiring Chelsea makes him a less suitable owner. The Turkish businessman has been quite outspoken about the nature of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and why Abramovich is selling the club. And this will certainly register as a negative for the current owner.
Woody Johnson
Donald Trump’s long-term ally, Woody Johnson is among the names rumoured to be in the race for Chelsea. He is understood to have a good understanding of London and Chelsea since he lived in the city before. However, considering his record with the Jets, it might not be in the best interest of a success-oriented club like Chelsea to sell to Johnson.
Nick Candy
Candy is a lifelong Chelsea fan, and also has a £1.5 billion plan to renovate Chelsea’s stadium and increase their capacity. He is expected to form a consortium with investors prior to submitting a formal bid for the club. By the looks of things, it seems like Candy could end up leading the race for the ownership due to his action-oriented plan to take Chelsea forward.
