Sir Martin Broughton, a lifelong Chelsea fan, is planning a bid to buy the club from Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. But he’s not planning on doing it alone. Seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton and former WTA number one Serena Williams have committed to investing £10 million ($13 million) each.
Currently, there are three remaining bids for Chelsea Football Club. Besides Sir Martin Broughton, who is in the lead, Steve Pagliuca (with stakes in the NBA’S Boston Celtics and Serie A’s Atalanta) and Todd Boehly (co-owner of the LA Dodgers baseball team) are also in the race to buy the soccer club. U.S. Bank The Raine Group is handling the transaction, and Chelsea is expected to sell for £2.5 bn ($3.2 billion).
The current owner, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, put it up for sale in early March. That came as a result of the sanctions from governments because of his ties to Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
British businessman Sir Martin Broughton is also backed by Serena Williams and Sir Lewis Hamilton. According to Sky News, the seven-time Formula One champion and the 23-time Grand Slam singles winner have committed to investing £10 million ($13 million) each in the deal. The decision to bid has been in talks for weeks.
A spokesperson for Hamilton shared via Daily Mail: “We can confirm that Lewis has joined the Sir Martin Broughton bid, however the financial figure reported in the Sky article isn’t accurate.”
Sky News also added that Hamilton’s involvement would “play a formal role in Chelsea's future efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion” if Broughton's bid goes through. A source told the outlet that their decision was a “serious investment decision,” thanks to their background in building global sports brands.
In the past, Hamilton openly shared his support for one of Chelsea’s rivals, Arsenal, but business is business. For Serena Williams, this wouldn’t be the first time she invests in soccer, as she owns stakes in Los Angeles-based women’s team, Angel City.
The current owner, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, put it up for sale in early March. That came as a result of the sanctions from governments because of his ties to Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
British businessman Sir Martin Broughton is also backed by Serena Williams and Sir Lewis Hamilton. According to Sky News, the seven-time Formula One champion and the 23-time Grand Slam singles winner have committed to investing £10 million ($13 million) each in the deal. The decision to bid has been in talks for weeks.
A spokesperson for Hamilton shared via Daily Mail: “We can confirm that Lewis has joined the Sir Martin Broughton bid, however the financial figure reported in the Sky article isn’t accurate.”
Sky News also added that Hamilton’s involvement would “play a formal role in Chelsea's future efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion” if Broughton's bid goes through. A source told the outlet that their decision was a “serious investment decision,” thanks to their background in building global sports brands.
In the past, Hamilton openly shared his support for one of Chelsea’s rivals, Arsenal, but business is business. For Serena Williams, this wouldn’t be the first time she invests in soccer, as she owns stakes in Los Angeles-based women’s team, Angel City.