British millionaire Jim Ratcliffe says he has made a promise to buy Chelsea, disputing three existing bids for the Stamford Bridge deal.
Chelsea were sold by Roman Abramovich in March before the Russian oligarch was fined by the UK government in response to a Russian offensive in Ukraine.
The three teams remain in the lead after asking to buy the club publicly, led by Todd Boehly, Martin Broughton, and Stephen Pagliuca, and the three have recently received the support of the True Blues consortium, including former Chelsea captain John. Terry among its members.
However, Ratcliffe, his chemical team Ineos already has a strong sports relationship, with the honor of owning the Ligue 1 team Nice and enjoying sponsorship deals with cyclists Ineos Grenadiers and Formula One’s Mercedes, now tell Times for his attempt to buy the Blues.
“We applied in the morning,” Ratcliffe said Friday.
“We are the only ones applying for Britain. Our goal is to build a great club in London. We have no intention of making a profit because we are making money in other ways.”
Ratcliffe also told the newspaper that his promise included a promise to invest more in the club and the club’s infrastructure over the next decade, with a new stadium or development at Stamford Bridge with statements made by representatives of each competing bid.
On the pitch, Chelsea appears to be aiming to finish third in the Premier League table, with manager Thomas Tuchel this week warning the club could have a problem with the transfer market if uncertainty over its ownership can be resolved quickly.
