Hamilton ready to invest in Chelsea takeover bid

Seven-time Formula One global champion Lewis Hamilton stated Friday that being a part of a consortium bidding to take over English Premier League club Chelsea became too exquisite a possibility to pass by.

Hamilton, at the side of American tennis celebrity Serena Williams, may want to each make investments up to £10 million, in keeping with Sky News, as part of a consortium led with the aid of former Liverpool chairman Martin Broughton.

“Chelsea is one in every of the biggest clubs in the world and most a success,” stated Hamilton, who professed a life-long love of soccer, “the biggest sport inside the global”.

“When I heard about this opportunity, I was like wow, this is this is one of the greatest opportunities to be a part of something so great.”

Hamilton, speaking ahead of Sunday’s Imola Grand Prix, added that from the age of five or six he had been a supporter of Chelsea’s bitter city rivals Arsenal.

“But my Uncle Terry is a big Blues fan so I’ve been to so many games with him to watch Arsenal and Chelsea play,” he said.

Hamilton said he had been contacted by Broughton after the announced sale of the European champions by Russian owner Roman Abramovich.

“Martin took time to speak to me on the phone and explained his and his team’s goals if they were to win the bid, which was incredibly exciting, and it was very much aligned with my values,” said Hamilton.

Russian billionaire Abramovich put Chelsea up for sale on March 2 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and was subsequently targeted by UK sanctions.

Chelsea has been granted a special government license to continue operating, though under strict terms.

Abramovich cannot profit from Chelsea’s sale, but had already vowed to write off the club’s £1.5 billion ($2 billion) debt.

Aside from Broughton’s candidacy, which additionally has World Athletics president Sebastian Coe — an avid Chelsea fan on board, different bids had been registered, headed up through Todd Boehly, co-proprietor of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, and Steve Pagliuca, co-proprietor of the Boston Celtics basketball team.