One of Switzerland’s richest men, Hansjorg Wyss on Wednesday disclosed that he had been offered the chance to buy Chelsea, with the European football champions’ Russian owner Roman Abramovich under growing scrutiny and now wiling to sell the club for the first time since 20 years.
Wyss currently aged 86, is the man who founded the medical device manufacturing firm Synthes.
Speaking to newsmen on Wednesday, he revealed that he and three others had been sounded out on Tuesday.
But Wyss wants Abramovich to lower his asking price for the English Premier League side.
Africa Daily News, New York had on Saturday reported that Abramovich that he plans to place his ownership of the Blues into the ‘stewardship and care’ of the Chelsea Foundation’s trustees but that hasn’t proven to be enough.
Abramovich has not been named on a growing British sanctions list targeting Russian banks, businesses and pro-Kremlin tycoons in the wake of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
But British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been pressed on why Abramovich has not been cited, given his familiarity with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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‘Abramovich is among Putin’s closest advisers and friends,’ Wyss told Blick.
‘Like all the other oligarchs, he is panicked. Abramovich is currently trying to sell all his villas in England. He also wants to get rid of Chelsea quickly. Along with three other people, I received an offer on Tuesday to buy Chelsea from Abramovich.
‘I have to wait four or five days. Abramovich is asking too much right now. Chelsea owes him £2 billion ($2.7 billion, 2.4 billion euros). But Chelsea has no money. This means that those who buy Chelsea must compensate Abramovich.
‘We do not yet know the exact sale price. I can very well imagine myself joining Chelsea with partners. First I have to look carefully at the conditions.
‘I certainly wouldn’t do such a thing alone. If I buy Chelsea, it will be with a consortium of six to seven investors.‘
Chelsea have however refused to comment on the matter.
Chelsea defeated Brazil’s Palmeiras 2-1 in the Club World Cup final in Abu Dhabi last month, meaning the Blues have now won every possible trophy since Abramovich bought the west London side in 2003.
Johnson was asked in Warsaw on Tuesday why Abramovich has not been personally sanctioned by Britain, as several UK lawmakers have demanded.
In response, Johnson did not mention the Chelsea owner, but said Britain would be ‘tightening the economic noose’ further around the Russian regime.
AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK
