New York Jets owner Woody Johnson and private Saudi group join Chelsea takeover race with Roman Abramovich ready to sell
NEW YORK JETS owner Robert ‘Woody’ Johnson and a private Saudi consortium have reportedly joined the race to buy Chelsea. Billionaire Roman Abramovich is said to have had over 300 parties express their interest in buying the club he values at £3billion. The latest of those is NFL franchise owner Johnson, according to ESPN. It’s […]
NEW YORK JETS owner Robert ‘Woody’ Johnson and a private Saudi consortium have reportedly joined the race to buy Chelsea.
Billionaire Roman Abramovich is said to have had over 300 parties express their interest in buying the club he values at £3billion.
The latest of those is NFL franchise owner Johnson, according to ESPN.
It’s claimed Johnson, 74, is ‘readying a bid’ for the club, having already made contact with The Raine Group.
New York-based investment bank The Raine Group have been handed the task of finding the right buyer by Abramovich.
On his own Johnson has a reported net worth of around £4.3bn.
He is said to have become a fan of the Blues while living in London and serving as ambassador to the USA.
Should Johnson’s efforts to buy Chelsea be successful he would join a growing list of NFL owners who have invested in a Premier League team.
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Stan Kroenke owns both Arsenal and Super Bowl champions the LA Rams, while the Glazer family own both Manchester United and the previous season’s winners, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Elsewhere a private Saudi backed consortium are also claimed to have ‘registered their interest’ in buying the Blues.
The group, led by Saudi Media, have contacted The Raine Group regarding a potential purchase, according to Goal.
Saudi Media help fund media, advertising and various sports brands across the world, but the individuals behind the consortium remain unknown at this stage.
Part of their work is for the ‘Pan-Arab broadcasting market’, with Pan-Arabism being a political movement.
Chelsea, though, are thought to have reservations over selling up to a ‘politically sensitive’ party.
Added to that a takeover wouldn’t be given the green light were the Saudi Media group publicly funded.
The Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund already own Newcastle, and therefore would not also be allowed to be in charge of Chelsea.
Of the 300 reported expressions of interest in the Blues, at least 10 are thought to be credible.
Johnson and Saudi Media join the likes of join the likes of UFC star Conor McGregor and ‘Moneyball’ genius Billy Beane as potential buyers of the European Champions.
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