Roman Abramovich 'offers to sell Chelsea' amid sanctions panic claims Swiss billionaire

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich planned to hand over "stewardship" of the Blues to their Charitable Foundation but reports have now begin to surface of a potential takeover

Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss claims he is one of four parties to have received an offer to buy Chelsea from Roman Abramovich.

On Saturday, it was announced that Abramovich would step back from his duties as owner and, for the first time since he bought the club in 2003, would consider a sale.

Following Russia 's invasion of Ukraine, Abramovich emerged as one many high-profile businessmen told that they should face further sanctions in the UK, before he quickly handed over "stewardship" at Stamford Bridge.

But after initially declaring that the club's Charitable Foundation would be put in charge, at least two of the six trustees tasked with running Chelsea considered stepping down from their roles due to uncertainty over the operation, prompting talk of a takeover.

Wyss, 86, is said to be one of the parties potentially looking at purchasing the Premier League giants, who have won every trophy possible under their current owner.

According to Forbes, Wyss has an estimated net worth of over $5billion and is described as ‘one of the most philanthropic people in the world’.

In total, he has charitable foundations with assets of over $2bn and in 2018 pledged to donate $1bn to conservation efforts around the world over a decade.

Wyss, who now resides in America made his fortune from the 2012 sale of medical device manufacturer Synthes - a company he founded - to Johnson & Johnson for $20.2bn.

In an interview with Swiss German-language newspaper Blick, Wyss has suggested he received an offer to buy Chelsea on Tuesday, for a price he deemed “far too much”.

“Abramovich is trying to sell all his villas in England,” Wyss said. "Like all other oligarchs, he is also in a panic.

“He also wants to get rid of Chelsea quickly. I and three other people received an offer on Tuesday to buy Chelsea from Abramovich.

"I have to wait four to five days now. Abramovich is currently asking far too much. You know, Chelsea owe him £2billion.

“But Chelsea has no money. Means: Those who buy Chelsea should compensate Abramovich."

Wyss went on to suggest that he would have no intention of buying the club as a solo investor and would instead look to be a part of a bigger consortium.

"As of today, we don't know the exact selling price. I can well imagine starting at Chelsea with partners. But I have to examine the general conditions first.

“But what I can already say: I'm definitely not doing something like this alone. If I buy Chelsea, then with a consortium consisting of six to seven investors."

Mirror Football has contacted Chelsea for comment on Mr Wyss’s claims.