Javed Afridi, owner of PSL team Peshawar Zalmi, wants to buy Chelsea?
Russian-Israeli billionaire Roman Abramovich on Wednesday confirmed he would sell his Premier League club, Chelsea, 19 years after buying the west London side.
FollowProminent Pakistani businessman Javed Afridi is reportedly interested in buying Premier League club, Chelsea, after its Russian billionaire owner Roman Abramovich put the club for sale as a fallout of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Afridi, who owns Pakistan Super League franchise Peshawar Zalmi, is now keen on buying one of the biggest football clubs in the world. According to the Khaleej Times, a source revealed that Javed Afridi's team already had a meeting in the UK in connection with buying a football club.
"Afridi's team held a meeting on Wednesday with a sports and legal agency in the UK. There are a bunch of investors who are interested in Chelsea Football Club," the source said to Khaleej Times.
"They believe it's the right time and opportunity to invest in football. And someone from Asia should come and invest. They are in negotiation with them right now," it added further.
Also read:Â Roman Abramovich confirms Chelsea is up for sale; triggers mixed emotions
An alma mater of University of Oxford, London School of Economics, Regent's University London, and Edwardes College, Javed Afridi is best known as the CEO of Haier Pakistan and owner of MG JW Automobile Pakistan. Co-founder and CEO of JoChaho, Afridi has sponsored many cricket tournaments under his supervision, including Haier Super 8 T20 Cup and Pakistan Super League. In an interview, Afridi, who has owned Peshawar Zalmi for a decade now, said, "Peshawar and KP are close to my heart, and I want to develop the infrastructure around the game in my homeland."
Afridi could face tough competition from Swiss billionaire Hansjoerg Wyss and USA investor Todd Boehly, as the duo are reportedly preparing a joint bid for Chelsea. Wyss had earlier claimed that he had received an offer from Abramovich.
Russian-Israeli billionaire Roman Abramovich on Wednesday confirmed he would sell his Premier League club, Chelsea, 19 years after buying the west London side and promised to donate money from the sale to help victims of the war in Ukraine.
Amid calls for Abramovich to be hit by sanctions after Russia invaded Ukraine, the 55-year-old metals magnate said in a statement that a sale was in the best interests of the reigning European and world football champions.
Abramovich has decided it is in the "best interest" of the Champions League holders if he parts ways with the club he has transformed since his purchase in 2003.
"As I have stated before, I have always taken decisions with the club's best interest at heart," Abramovich said in a statement.
"In the current situation, I have therefore taken the decision to sell the club, as I believe this is in the best interest of the club, the fans, the employees, as well as the club's sponsors and partners," he added.
Also read:Â Meet Hansjorg Wyss, the Swiss billionaire who may be Chelsea's new owner
Chelsea has won 19 major trophies in the Abramovich era, including their first two Champions League crowns and five Premier League titles. But the 55-year-old's reign has now come to an end following the fallout from the Russian invasion.
The UK government has yet to order sanctions against the Russian businessman, who is close to President Vladimir Putin. Still, Abramovich's concern about the potential seizing of assets is said to have sparked his move to off-load the Blues.
Abramovich, who also has Israeli and Portuguese citizenship, became one of Russia's most influential businessmen by earning fabulous fortunes after the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union. Forbes has put his net worth at 13.3 billion dollars.
