April 22 – Formula One star Lewis Hamilton and 23-time Grand Slam tennis champion Serena Williams have joined a consortium to buy Premier League club Chelsea, according to reports.
Williams and Hamilton have reportedly pledged an estimated £10 million each to the bid being fronted by former Liverpool and British Airways chairman Martin Broughton and World Athletics president Sebastian Coe.
The Broughton consortium is one of three groups in the running to purchase the club for £2.5 billion after it was put up for sale by its Russian oligarch owner Roman Abramovich.
Chelsea are currently operating under a special licence from the UK government after Abramovich was sanctioned as one of several punitive measures in reaction to the war in Ukraine
Hamilton’s representatives have confirmed that the FI superstar has joined Broughton’s bid, but said the financial figures quoted were not accurate. Williams is already an investor in Los Angeles’ Angel City FC, which plays in the National Women’s Soccer League.
American investment firm Raine Group has been tasked with selling Chelsea and the government is expected to issue a new licence, allowing the club to be sold once a preferred buyer has been identified.
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