British property developer Nick Candy is “actively exploring” the possibility of bidding for ownership of Chelsea.
The billionaire – a lifelong Blues fan – is looking to join up with another party or consortium to make a bid to buy the club after Roman Abramovich last week announced he was willing to sell.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to calls for current owner Abramovich – and other Russian individuals and entities – to face sanctions from the British government, with the 55-year-old Russian oligarch having been photographed with president Vladimir Putin in the past.
Although a spokesperson for Abramovich claimed he was “trying to help” achieve a peaceful resolution to the conflict, the billionaire later announced he had taken the “incredibly difficult” decision to sell the club, which he has owned since 2003.
Candy – who has a background in luxury real estate and is married to Australian singer and actress Holly Valance – would also look to improve the club’s facilities. Plans to build a new 60,000-seater stadium at Stamford Bridge were shelved in 2018.
A spokesperson for Mr Candy commented: “Nick Candy is actively exploring a number of options for a potential bid for Chelsea Football Club.
“Any bid would be made in conjunction with another party (or consortium) and we have serious interest from several international partners.
“Mr Candy has a huge affinity with Chelsea – his father was asked to play for the club and he has been watching matches at Stamford Bridge since the age of four.
“The club deserves a world-class stadium and infrastructure and Mr Candy’s unique expertise and background in real estate would be a hugely valuable asset to delivering this vision.”
Other bidders to have come forward so far include a Swiss-American consortium led by billionaires Hansjorg Wyss and Todd Boehly.
The sale of the club is being handled by the US-based Raine Group, which has set a deadline of 15 March for prospective bidders, though further bids are expected to be made.
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