LONDON — Roman Abramovich, the Russian oligarch whose vast fortune transformed Chelsea into a global soccer powerhouse, is actively seeking to sell the team, setting a deadline of Friday for interested parties to submit “indicative offers” for the club he has owned for almost two decades. He is seeking at least $2.5 billion for the club.
Only days ago, Abramovich had announced his intention to transfer the “stewardship and care” of Chelsea to members of its charitable foundation. The move — in which he notably did not suggest he would surrender ownership of Chelsea — was seemingly designed to distance the club from the impact of any possible sanctions levied by the British government against the 55-year-old Abramovich as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.