British tycoon Nick Candy is reportedly the latest interested party in acquiring Chelsea following Roman Abramovich’s decision to sell.
Abramovich has suffered sanctions by the European Union and the United Kingdom due to suspected links with the Russian government after his country’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. As a result, Chelsea FC are unable to sell any more match tickets or merchandise, and will not be able to buy or sell players on the transfer market.
In order for Abramovich to make the sale a special licence special license needs to be issued proving he would not benefit from its sale. In addition, he has been given little choice but to accept a quick sale, while his proposal to donate the proceeds to a charitable foundation that can benefit both Ukrainians and Russians affected by the war, is unacceptable.
In the event of a successful sale, the fees would be administered by government, with the money either frozen or donated to a Ukraine relief fund.
According to BBC, 20 interested billionaires are bidding, with Nick Candy being a strong candidate.
The 49-year-old property developer, who has confirmed he is going to bid for his favourite team, plans to attend Sunday’s Premier League home match against Newcastle.
“We are examining the details of the announcement and we are still interested in making a bid,” a spokesperson for Candy told the press.
“Clearly this is a time of great uncertainty for all Chelsea fans… [Mr Candy] is actively exploring a number of options for a potential bid for Chelsea.
“Any bid would be made in conjunction with another party, or consortium, and we have serious interest from several international partners. Mr Candy has a huge affinity with Chelsea. His father was asked to play for the club and he has been watching matches at Stamford Bridge since the age of four,” Candy’s spokesperson added.
Candy, and his younger brother Christian first started his development business in 1995, buying a flat in Earl’s Court, London on a £6,000 loan and turning it into a £50,000 profit within 18 months. Since then, he and his brother have continued to maximise their investment profits with property titles that include One Hyde Park, NoHo Square and the Chelsea Barracks. It is estimated that Candy has a net worth of between £800m and £850m. Together with his brother Christian, the pair are believed to jointly be worth about £1.5bn. Candy recently put his own penthouse in One Hyde Park up for sale at £175m.
The British tycoon whose mother is of Greek Cypriot descent is married to Australian actress and singer Holly Valance who is best known for her role in the popular series Neighbours. The Australian born actress married the British property developer, Candy, in Beverly Hills, California, and together have two children.
