The British richest man and owner of Ineos confirmed earlier today that he has submitted a late bid of more than £4 billion for Chelsea just days before Raine Group were set to name their preferred bidder.
Ratcliffe has previously been interested in buying Chelsea and is reportedly a season ticket holder despite being a Manchester United Fan.he is also the owner of Ligue one side OGC Nice.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe said that his offer will involve a £1.75 billion investment in Chelsea over the next decade, in addition to the £2.5 billion required to buy the club outright.
Ratcliffe told The Times.“We put an offer in this morning,”
“We are the only British bid. Our motives are simply to try and create a very fine club in London. We have no profit motive because we make our money in other ways.”
Read the full statement here
“Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Chairman of INEOS, has made a formal bid for Chelsea FC, for £4.25bn.
”£2.5bn is committed to the Charitable Trust to support victims of the war, with £1.75bn committed to investment directly into the club over the next 10 years.
“This is a British bid, for a British club. We believe that a club is bigger than its owners who are temporary custodians of a great tradition. With responsibility to the fans and the community.
“That is why we are committing to spending £1.75bn over 10 years that will be for the direct benefit of the club.
“We will invest in Stamford Bridge to make it a world-class stadium, befitting Chelsea FC. This will be organic and on-going so that we will not move away from the home of Chelsea and risk losing the support of loyal fans.
“We will continue to invest in the team to ensure we have a first class squad of the world’s greatest players, coaches and support staff, in the men’s and women’s games.
“And we hope to continue to invest in the academy to provide opportunities for talented youngsters to develop into first class players.
“We believe that London should have a club that reflects the stature of the city. One that is held in the same regard as Real Madrid, Barcelona or Bayern Munich. We intend Chelsea to be that club.
“We are making this investment as fans of the beautiful game – not as a means to turn a profit. We do that with our core businesses.
“The club is rooted in its community and its fans. And it is our intention to invest in Chelsea FC for that reason.”
Abramovich has owned the London Club for 19 years and has won 21 trophies including two Champions Leagues, four Premier Leagues, and the FIFA Club World Cup.
The Russian Billionaire put Chelsea up for sale on 2 March during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The Uk Government sanctioned Roman Abromovich because of his close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The proceeds from the sale of the Club will be frozen or given to charity .Chelsea fans will hope the takeover is completed soon.
