Chelsea have moved to quash fresh reports that owner Roman Abramovich is ready to sell the club.
A report in the Sunday Times claims that Abramovich called on US bank Raine Group to value the club, which they have priced at £2billion, ahead of seeking a buyer.
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The New York organisation has previously helped Manchester City secure an investment of £265m from China Media Capital through the sale of a 13 per cent stake in the club.
The story comes less than a week after Premier League rivals Liverpool were linked with a takeover, of the same amount.
The suggestion that Abramovich could be ready to sell his stake in the club is not new, however.
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As recently as June, Britain’s ‘richest man’ Jim Ratcliffe was linked with a reported £2bn offer for the club - which was apparently rejected by Abramovich.
Ratcliffe, who is the CEO of chemicals company Ineos, has a reported wealth of £21bn.
When quizzed by the Evening Standard in June, Ineos said: "We can't comment on market rumour or speculation." Â
While Standard Sport understands that Abramovich is not looking to sell the club - any potential relationship with Raine Group could be an attempt to secure similar funding to what City achieved in 2015.
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Investment in the playing squad following the arrival of Maurizio Sarri this summer - the fourteenth of Abramovich’s tenure - is expected to continue in both the winter and summer transfer windows, in what is an already overly-competitive market.
Chelsea struck fear within the European transfer market following Abramovich’s takeover in 2003 but have since seen the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City surpass their financial might, while clubs such as Barcelona and Manchester United have continued to out-perform the Blues commercially.
Furthermore, Chelsea put plans to redevelop their Stamford Bridge stadium on hold back in May, citing an ‘unfavourable investment climate’ for the decision.
The development, which was set to cost owner Roman Abramovich at least £500million and see Stamford Bridge’s capacity rise to 60,000, would have seen the Blues follow in Tottenham’s footsteps and use Wembley Stadium as temporary home.Â
Source: standard.co.uk