Roman Abramovich sets deadline to sell Chelsea after rejecting £2.5bn bid

Roman Abramovich has rejected a £2.5 billion offer to sell Chelsea and has set a deadline to receive bids by mid-March, according to reports.

The 55-year-old, who has owned Chelsea since 2003, has put the club up for sale following pressure on the UK Government to sanction him in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

On Wednesday, Labour leader Sir Kier Starmer questioned why Prime Minister Boris Johnson is yet to impose any restrictions on Abramovich, while Labour MP Chris Bryant claims Chelsea’s owner is ‘terrified of being sanctioned’ and is already selling off his property.

It has been claimed that Abramovich, purchased Chelsea for £140 million nearly 19 nears ago, is holding out for a £4bn fee, but other sources claim an offer in the region of £3bn would be accepted.

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Sky News claim that a £2.5bn bid was turned down by Abramovich earlier this week, while eight multibillionaires have already been approached about the possibility of buying Chelsea.

It’s reported that Abramovich wants to complete the deal quickly and would sell before the end of the month.

Meanwhile, The Independent report that it is ‘far from inconceivable’ that Abramovich could have a deal in place to sell Chelsea by the time they face Newcastle in their next Premier League home fixture on March 13.

It’s understood that American merchant bank Raine Group have been instructed by Abramovich to sound out offers.

Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss, who is worth around $5.8bn (£4.3bn), has already claimed that he, along with three others, has received a proposal to buy Chelsea from Abramovich.

‘Abramovich is one of Putin’s closest advisers and friends. Like all other