Reporter Han Bing reported that at 21:00 London time on Friday night, the offer to buy Chelsea Club was officially closed. Abramovich commissioned the American Rennes Group, which had full authority over the sale of the club, and received more than 20 formal offers in total. Rennes Group will select 4 investors with sufficient experience in the operation of professional sports clubs, sufficient financial strength and excellent quotations to enter the final "bidding". Although there is no exact deadline for the completion of the acquisition transaction, considering the current disposable liquidity situation on Chelsea's books, it is believed that Chelsea should be able to complete the acquisition process before the end of April, so that the Blues can be freed from the shackles of capital freezing and the club's operations return to normal track.
In the past few weeks, many investors have surfaced, many of which are generally optimistic. The investors formed by the earliest Swiss billionaire Weiss, the United States billionaire Boley, and the local Jewish investor Goldstein in London have received the most media attention; Hleighgi's Saudi Media Group (SMG) currently has the highest offer (2.7 billion pounds), but Hlegi's own financial resources are limited, the source of funds is unknown, and clarifying that the funds have nothing to do with the Saudi royal family that has just acquired Newcastle United is the most important thing for the Saudi media group.
Candy, a native British real estate developer who is a lifelong Chelsea fan, has also made a £2.5 billion offer and promised to bring a new stadium with a larger capacity for the Blues; the Esser private equity firm founded by American billionaire Schubert and Portuguese Santos Silva in London has also offered to expand Stamford Bridge and retain the existing club management and coaching staff, which has greatly impressed Chelsea fans. In addition, investors in the Ricketts family and hedge fund manager Griffin, the owner of mlbed Chicago Cubs, and the investors led by NFL team New York Jets owner and former U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom Johnson are also notable.
In addition, London-based Korean football agency C&P Sports joined hands with Asiana Financial Group to join the bidding at the last minute, making it possible for Korean capital to enter the five major leagues. However, investors led by two british celebrities, former British Airways chairman Broughton and sports legend Baron Sebastian Coe, appear to be more favored by Chelsea fans. Both are die-hard Chelsea fans and have a good relationship with the club's vice-president, Barker.
All in all, no matter who Chelsea ultimately spends, the Blues' 19-year-long "Roman dynasty" has come to an end, and Chelsea's future will be in the hands of new financiers.
Gold Lords: Weiss, Boley, Gostan
Nationality: Swiss/American/British
Quote: £2.5 billion
Weiss, an 86-year-old Swiss billionaire, is a multinational medical device tycoon who currently lives in Wyoming. Weiss has personal assets of more than $5 billion, but has never had any previous experience investing in professional sports.
Weiss needed an investment partner with professional sports investment and operational experience, and Todd Boley, a minority shareholder of mlbed Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers, teamed up with Weiss. Boli bought a 27 percent stake in the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA last year, and he also offered $3 billion to buy Chelsea in 2019, but Abu refused. Burley's investment firm, Eldridge, manages $40 billion in assets and partners with Iranian-American investor Ekhbari, whose capital group manages $60 billion in assets far more than Abu.
J Goldstein is a British lawyer, co-founder and CEO of the multinational investment firm Cain International, and is well versed in real estate investment. Gostan settled in London, was a leader of the Jewish community in Britain, and had close ties to the Labour Party. Gostan had intended to acquire Tottenham 8 years ago, but ultimately failed. His participation allowed the multinational portfolio to gain support from the London and British governments, and Gostan was Jewish like Abu.
The cross-border combination of Weiss, Boley and Gostan was quoted at £2.5 billion, but was not the highest bidder. However, considering that Abu's property in the UK has also been added to the sale of Chelsea Club, this combination has Gordane, who is proficient in real estate investment, so their chances are not small.
Gold Lord: Lord Broughton, Baron Coco
Nationality: United Kingdom
Offer: £2 billion
Sebastian Coe, a former British middle-distance running legend of 1/4 Indian descent, is the soul of this bidder, the 66-year-old holds the title of baron, has won two medals, is a life member of the Conservative Party, led the london to win the right to host the 2012 Summer Olympics and serves as chairman of the London Organising Committee. He was president of the British Olympic Committee, is currently president of the IAAF and, more importantly, a veteran Chelsea fan. His investment partner, Sir Broughton, who was chairman of British American Tobacco and British Airways, will turn 75 and was appointed interim chairman by Liverpool in April 2010 to oversee the sale of the club. Six months later, Liverpool was acquired by Fenway Sports group in the United States, and Broughton left.
Broughton is also a veteran Chelsea fan, and his "Jazz + Blues fan combination" with Sebastian Coe is considered the most favored acquirer for the British government and Chelsea fans. Broughton was the original offerer, while the highly reputable Baron Ko only unexpectedly joined last week. Harris and Britze, who own a small stake in Crystal Palace, are also on the team, with the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and partners around the world.
Although Baron Coe has stressed that Broughton is the best person for Chelsea to continue to maintain its top club status, the British media generally believes that Sebastian Coco is the future leader of Chelsea, and he will also enter the board after the successful acquisition. Chelsea will benefit greatly from his top resources in BRITISH politics and sport.
Gold Lord: Hlegi
Nationality: Saudi
Quote: £2.7 billion
Among the many bidders exposed by the media, Khaleji from Saudi Arabia is the most mysterious. Many media outlets believe that the Saudi media tycoon's personal wealth exceeds $2.7 billion.
It is reported that Haleggi and his youngest son are Chelsea fans, although he was born in Saudi Arabia, but grew up in The United Kingdom. Khalej is not a member of the Saudi royal family, but he is the current Saudi minister of information. His Saudi Media Group (SMG), which he owns, currently makes £770 million a year in profits, which is clearly not enough to support his bid to buy Chelsea for up to £2.7 billion.
To win the support of Chelsea fans, Hlegi said he would work on building a new stadium with a larger capacity for the Blues after the acquisition was successful. Although he is currently the highest bidder, because the United Kingdom is generally wary of Saudi royal family funds, Khalej must prove to the British government and the Premier League that his source of funds has nothing to do with the Saudi royal family and public funds.
However, the owner of the Saudi state-owned telecommunications company, Bin Khalid, was involved in raising bidding funds, and Saudi Crown Prince Bin Salman also took a photo with Khalej on his social networking page, making it hard to believe that Khalij has nothing to do with the Saudi royal family. The unknown source of funding weakens Helleggi's advantage over the highest offer. After all, the British government still wants Chelsea's sale to maximize the benefits.
Gold lords: Candy, Vialli
Nationality: British/Italian
For Chelsea fans, the acquirer led by the legend of the team, Vialli, has enough appeal. British high-end real estate tycoon Nick Candy, who is also a big Chelsea fan, is responsible for providing capital, while Italian legend Vialli, who has played for and coached Chelsea, is responsible for the operation of the acquisition deal. Obviously, it was a charismatic takeover combination: not only the local capital background, but also the Chelsea celebrity leading the way, which gave Chelsea fans a sense of hope that the club would still be able to retain its tradition after the change of ownership.
Candy, 49, and his brother Christian are of mixed British and Greek descent, and their mother is a Greek immigrant from Cyprus.
The two have only been in the UK's high-end property investment sector for nearly 20 years, and their wealth is only £2 billion. Candy, a veteran Chelsea fan, also acquired Britain's most expensive property, the Chelsea Barracks, in 2007 in a joint venture with the Qatar Sovereign Fund. Candy's offer of £2.5 billion for the acquisition of Chelsea did not have an advantage.
However, Candy entrusted Chelsea's famous investment firm viali to lead the acquisition and financing, which is an advantage that other bidders do not have at all. Vialli means so much to Chelsea fans, who have great trust in the old legend who brought glory to the Blues. Moreover, as a well-known high-end real estate developer in London, Candy has also promised to bring a bigger stadium to Chelsea and maintain a steady investment in the club.