London, British property developer Nick Candy is preparing a 2.5 billion pound bid to buy Chelsea from Roman Abramovich, which is to be submitted by the end of the week.
Abramovich put the club up for sale last week and Candy is talking to American investors as he looks to build a consortium to launch an official bid for the club.
Abramovich currently values the club at 3bn pounds, but he is understood to want prospective buyers to demonstrate that they have a plan to ensure that the club remain successful. Candy’s bid in the region of 2.5bn would be considered as credible given the current circumstances.
Abramovich is looking to sell the club quickly in order to avoid being sanctioned by the British government as soon as next week.
Candy, a lifelong Chelsea fan, is preparing to commit to the planned redevelopment of Stamford Bridge, which Abramovich has been unable to complete.
Chelsea received planning permission to build a 60,000-seater stadium in 2017, but this project stalled after Abramovich’s visa renewal was blocked by the government following the Salisbury poisonings.
Abramovich has also received an opening proposal from a consortium fronted by Todd Boehly and Hansjorg Wyss, while Turkish businessman Muhsin Bayrak announced last Tuesday that he would hold talks with Abramovich’s representatives tomorrow (Thursday).
The Chelsea owner is considering his options, with Candy set to make the first official offer to buy the club by the end of this week, the Spanish MARCA newspaper reported
Source: Oman News Agency