Chelsea received a late bidder on Friday as Sir Jim Ratcliffe joined the race to buy the club. And now the billionaire has opened up about having ‘split loyalties’ due to being a Manchester United fan, but still wants to make the London club huge.
The British billionaire made a late bid to buy Chelsea on Friday but has seen his approach knocked back. In an interview with the BBC, Ratcliffe has stressed that he wants to “run the club really well,” despite admitting that he would have split loyalties if the Blues faced his beloved United.
Ratcliffe is hoping to beat the three other consortiums in the race to buy Chelsea that are currently being considered by the Raine group overseeing the sale. But Ratcliffe is ‘not giving up’ on a takeover bid even though his offer was rejected.
The billionaire owner and chairman of INEOS chemicals has insisted that he is not interested in making money out of Chelsea, and wants to run the club as well as physically possible should he be chosen. Ratcliffe told BBC: “If we wanted to make money we would do so with our chemicals and gases.
JUST IN: Jason Cundy doubles down on Villarreal after Liverpool defeat
“We are not looking to make money out of Chelsea. We presented them with an offer at the end of last week, we were late but it’s a big commitment. We are not there for five years or for ten, we are there for the long-term.”
Ratcliffe also revealed that he wants to turn Chelsea into a club of “the same stature as the city of London,” and amid an ongoing stadium row, the billionaire has promised to offer Stamford Bridge a “world-class capacity” and would not rename the ground.
There would also be significant investment into Chelsea’s women’s and academy teams, as Ratcliffe looks to benefit the club in all areas. But for now, his bid has been rejected, and Chelsea are now closer to finding a new owner.
READ MORE: Loftus-Cheek to be offered Chelsea escape route after Tuchel comments
The Chelsea ownership saga rolls on, as the club are still yet to find a new owner in the wake of Abramovich’s sanctions. The Russian was sanctioned by the UK government for his alleged involvement with Vladimir Putin earlier this year.
A consortium led by LA Dodgers owner Todd Boehly is understood to be the preferred bidder for Chelsea at this moment in time. But Ratcliffe is making a late charge to poach the deal away from the American.
And as he attempts to persuade Raine to reconsider, he has opened up to the BBC, as he said: “Consideration should be given to a British bid. We had communication with Raine and met with them at the end of last week.
“We presented a bid but have heard very little back from them. My message to Raine is don’t discount our offer. We are British and have great intentions for Chelsea. If I was Raine I wouldn’t close any door.”
It’s now been two months since Roman Abramovich announced that the club would be put up for sale, which was shortly after he was sanctioned. His assets remain frozen, but Chelsea need to complete a sale if they are to have their special licence lifted.
Due to Abramovich’s sanctions, Chelsea have been restricted the right to sell home tickets, and they’re still unable to sign and re-sign players. The implications have been drastic as Antonio Rudiger looks set to leave the club when his contract expires this summer.
And Andreas Christensen will follow him out the door, and there are no guarantees that Cesar Azpilicueta will re-sign either. But although Ratcliffe’s was a late bidder, he thinks that the time that they took to consider their proposal will be worth it in the long run, and they will fight until the end.
“We got there at the end of the day and we are committed. We’re not giving up,” Ratcliffe added. It’s likely that although the saga has rolled on, a decision will be reached soon, allowing Chelsea to reset this summer.
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
