Chelsea Won't Be Sold To Owners From Two Countries

Roman Abramovich has put Chelsea up for sale, amidst calls for the club to be seized from him, but the Russian won't be selling to owners from two countries.

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, calls for the Premier League owner to be put under sanctions came from MPs and the public alike.

With the threat of that happening, and the club being seized from Abramovic, the 55-year-old announced this week that the club was up for sale.

The sale has led to fans and former Blues players, including John Terry, backing the owner, something that has been slammed by club legend Pat Nevin.

However, that sale isn't likely to happen quickly. According to Joe Ravitch, the banker helping Abramovich find a seller, the billionaire won't be rushing.

"We are not going to rush anything. It is very important that Chelsea have the right owner to guide the club forward," Ravitch told Reuters.

Abramovich is looking to sell after years of success. Image: PA Images

A source also told the news agency that the club do not want to find themselves with owners that will be 'politically controversial,' considering the ending of the current owner's time in charge.

That means that Abramovich won't be selling to owners from China and Saudi Arabia, and it could also include other countries with poor human rights records.

Newcastle United's recent change of ownership was delayed due to the dispute between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, over an argument over Premier League television rights.

However there was a greater backlash from football fans for the new Saudi ownership, due to the close connection with the country's own governance.

Ratcliffe, who owns Ligue 1 side Nice, won't be buying the club, reportedly. Image: PA Images

Whoever does buy the five times Premier League winners, whose success in the league all came under the Abramovich era since 2003, will have to spend big.

It is reported that the Russian billionaire is looking for £3 billion in order to sell, with £1.5 billion of that thought to be the debt the club owe him.

Britain's richest man, Jim Ratcliffe, was linked with a potential move to buy the club, but sources close to the Nice owner have since denied them.

A Swiss billionaire claimed to have been approached by the club but said he needed several 'investors,' but if all else fails they can always sell to Conor McGregor, although the Irishman also certainly counts as 'politically controversial.'

Topics: Chelsea, Premier League, Russia, Ukraine

Ryan Sidle

Ryan is a journalist for SPORTbible with over eight years of experience. Passionate about all sports, he mainly covers football and F1 - Daniel Ricciardo once spent an entire interview referring to him as 'Ryan Gosling,' still his proudest moment.

@Sidler28