Conor McGregor willing to ‘explore’ buying Chelsea after Roman Abramovich puts club for sale; ‘Push it to the limit’

UFC star Conor McGregor is willing to “explore” buying Chelsea after current owner Roman Abramovic put the English football club up for sale. The Irishman, who had previously shown interest in buying Manchester United, shared a cheeky tweet where he can be seen responding to a message reading, “Chelsea for sale, £3bn. Let’s buy it”.

Mcgregor reportedly has a net worth of £141 million, a figure that seems way off the price tag that Abramovic has set. He also shared a footage of himself in a game where he was playing the role of the team’s manager. He tagged Chelsea in the post, which was captioned: “Push it to the limit!”. It remains to be seen whether the MMA star submits a bid to be a part of the Blues’ ownership bunch, which is currently going through a tumultuous phase.

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Abramovich’s decision to sell the club comes after facing severe backlash due to his alleged close ties with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin amid the country’s ongoing military operation in Ukraine.

“I would like to address the speculation in media over the past few days in relation to my ownership of Chelsea FC. As I have stated before, I have always taken decisions with the Club’s best interest at heart,” said Abramovich in an official statement on Chelsea’s website.

“In the current situation, I have therefore taken the decision to sell the Club, as I believe this is in the best interest of the Club, the fans, the employees, as well as the Club’s sponsors and partners.”

“The sale of the Club will not be fast-tracked but will follow due process. I will not be asking for any loans to be repaid. This has never been about business or money for me, but about pure passion for the game and Club. Moreover, I have instructed my team to set up a charitable foundation where all net proceeds from the sale will be donated,” he added.

Under Abramovich’s reign that started in 2003, Chelsea won five Premier League titles and two Champions League trophies. The Blues, meanwhile, registered a 3-2 win at Luton after the club was put up for sale by Abramovich.

When asked about the sale, Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel also admitted it was impossible to imagine Chelsea without Abramovich. “I can only think about Chelsea with Roman Abramovich. So it’s very hard for me. It hasn’t sunk in yet that this is going to stop. It’s a massive change of course,” Tuchel said.