British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe reveals Chelsea takeover bid

British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe claims to have made an offer to buy Chelsea, rivalling three existing takeover bids for the Stamford Bridge outfit.

Chelsea were put up for sale by Roman Abramovich in March ahead of the Russian oligarch being placed under sanctions by the UK government in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Three consortiums remain in the running after making their offers to buy the club public, fronted by Todd Boehly, Martin Broughton, and Stephen Pagliuca, with the latter of the trio recently receiving the support of the True Blues consortium, which counts former Chelsea captain John Terry among its members.

However, Ratcliffe, whose chemical group Ineos already has extensive sporting ties, courtesy of owning Ligue 1 side Nice and enjoying sponsorship deals with the Ineos Grenadiers cycling team and Formula One’s Mercedes, has now told the Times of his attempt to purchase the Blues.

“We put an offer in this morning,” Ratcliffe said on Friday. 

“We are the only British bid. Our motives are simply to try and create a very fine club in London. We have no profit motive because we make our money in other ways.”

Ratcliffe also told the newspaper that his offer included a pledge to invest heavily in the club’s team and infrastructure over the next decade, with a new stadium or redevelopment of Stamford Bridge featuring heavily in statements made by representatives of each competing bid.

On the pitch, Chelsea appear destined to finish third in the Premier League table, with boss Thomas Tuchel this week warning the club could suffer from a disadvantage in the transfer market if the uncertainty surrounding their ownership is not resolved swiftly.