Chelsea sale: British tycoon Nick Candy ‘submits’ bid as US billionaire in talks with bankers
The Blues are certainly attracting a lot of interest a week after current owner and Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich confirmed that he would be looking to sell the club.
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Abramovich makes ‘extremely difficult decision’ to sell Chelsea
Chelsea looks set to be the subject of two separate bids from both sides of the Atlantic in the coming days, with two billionaires poised to go head-to-head to become the club’s new owners.
West London outfit is marketed after current owner Roman Abramovich Notice in one verbose statement he is planning to sell the club.
Abramovich has owned the club and has been a regular at Stamford Bridge for 19 years, but scrutiny has come over his ties to the Russian president. Vladimir Putin made his position Chelsea Owner cannot confirm.
The first bid received looks set to come from British property developer Nick Candy, who are plotting a £2.5 billion bid for the club that is expected to be submitted. on the weekend, follow Daily mail.
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The 49-year-old is already a Chelsea fan and his offer will include a £1.5 billion investment plan to rebuild Stamford Bridge.
Holly Valance’s husband Candy is said to be in talks with a number of US investors, aiming to form a consortium that can then go ahead with a formal offer.
“Nick Candy is actively exploring several options for a potential bid for Chelsea Football Club,” a spokesperson for Candy confirmed to Sportsmail.
“Any bids will be made in conjunction with another party (or consortium) and we have genuine interest from a number of international partners.”
However, Candy is also said to value the club significantly less than the price Abramovich is currently asking.
The Russian billionaire is aiming to make at least £3 billion for the reigning European champions, but Candy’s £2.5 billion offer could still be accepted by Abramovich as he is keen to sell.
The 52-year-old could be sanctioned by the UK government as early as next week and therefore may be willing to accept an offer slightly below his £3billion target.
But Candy could face competition in its bid to own The Blues in the form of US billionaire Josh Harris.
Once a top-level executive at private equity firm Apollo Global Management, Harris now co-owns a sports portfolio with business partner David Blitzer.
Harris already boasts a minority stake in a London-based company Premier League costumes in the form of Crystal Palacebut his main focus is on the National Basketball Association side, the Philadelphia 76ers.
If he does join the Blues, he will have to give up his stake with the Eagles. A spokesperson for Harris declined to comment on Financial Times.
Harris is said to be talking to bankers about his potential bid for the Blues.
Many believe that Abramovich would rather sell the club to a European or American billionaire than have any interference from a sovereign state.
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