Chelsea takeover bid from Jim Ratcliffe rejected ‘out of hand’ after Brit billionaire’s £4.25 BILLION offer
JIM RATCLIFFE’S last-gasp £4.25billion bid for Chelsea FC has been rejected.
The INEOS chairman placed the offer last week with the intention of creating a “very fine club in London”.
He has also pledged £1.75bn of that money to pay for a new stadium and cover the costs of new signings.
But according to Telegraph football correspondent Matt Law, Tom Crotty, director of communications and corporate affairs at INEOS, confirmed that the Raine group has told Ratcliffe that his offer is not currently part of the process.
Despite the setback, Ratcliffe is refusing to give up on his pursuit.
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The 69-year-old and his camp have already held discussions with the Chelsea Supporters Trust and they intend to continue communicating with the fans over the coming weeks.
Crotty said: “We will continue to engage with the fanbase.
“We see ourselves as a fan-based bid.”
He is keen to compete with Todd Boehly, who recently became the preferred bidder for the club.
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Boehly’s consortium, which includes Switzerland’s richest man Hansjorg Wyss and former Chancellor George Osborne, were told they had been granted a “period of exclusivity” to discuss the final terms and conditions of the takeover.
Meanwhile, the other two consortiums, one led by Sir Martin Broughton and the other by Stephen Pagliuca, were informed they were almost out of the running.
However, Chelsea have now confirmed that Roman Abramovich wants the £1.6billion he had loaned to the club through an investment vehicle repaid in full.
This could block any deal from going through.