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Roman Abramovich has a number of interested parties when it comes to Chelsea Football Club.
The Blues owner announced his decision to sell the club earlier this week, which will bring an end to his 19-year association with the west London club.
Chelsea have enjoyed unmitigated success under the Russian oligarch and his position as a fans’ favourite would have only grown as he announced he was writing off the £1.5billion debt owed to him.
A consortium led by Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss and Todd Boehly are among the frontrunners to complete a takeover, while Turkish businessman Muhsin Bayrak has placed a bid for the club too.
The general manager of Bayrak ‘s business AB Group Holding confirmed the bid to PA Sport, saying: “We can definitely confirm our bid for Chelsea. We have forwarded our offer regarding this.”
But there is also another, slightly more unconventional name in the running – mixed Martial arts fighter and controversial figure Conor McGregor.
McGregor tweeted in the aftermath of the news that the club was for sale that he wanted to “explore” the possibility of buying the Blues from Abramovich.
And McGregor has now gone one further and submitted an “offer” for the club.
Abramovich is understood to be looking for a fee in the region of £3billion, although McGregor is not planning on reaching that figure it seems.
His net worth is thought to be in the region of £134.7million and would likely need backing from other investors to get a deal done.
The MMA fighter sent an eight-word message to Abramovich on his Twitter page saying: “I hereby put forward my offer of £1.5bn.”
That is unlikely to tempt Abramovich into selling, who, although under pressure to face sanctions from the British government in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has admitted he will not be fast-tracking the sale.
He said: “The sale of the club will not be fast-tracked but will follow due process. I will not be asking for any loans to be repaid. This has never been about business nor money for me, but about pure passion for the game and club.
Moreover, I have instructed my team to set up a charitable foundation where all net proceeds from the sale will be donated. The foundation will be for the benefit of all victims of the war in Ukraine. This includes providing critical funds towards the urgent and immediate needs of victims, as well as supporting the long-term work of recovery.”