Who is Hansjorg Wyss, how much is he worth and what has he said about buying Chelsea?

After nearly 20 years as Chelsea’s owner, Roman Abramovich is looking to sell the club and Hansjorg Wyss is one of the few people who could afford to buy it.

The 86-year-old Swiss has confirmed that he has been offered the chance to buy the Blues and is considering his options, although says Abramovich is asking for too much money at this stage.

The Russian owner of Chelsea is looking to offload the club as there is the possibility that his assets will be frozen or seized as part of sanctions due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Wyss could be the man to replace him at Stamford Bridge, but what do we know about him?

Wyss, born in Bern in 1935, studied at Harvard and worked as an engineer around the world, before making his fortune through medical device manufacturing, founding Synthes USA in 1977, the American branch of the Swiss business Synthes.

He sold the company to Johnson & Johnson in 2012 for a mammoth $20.2 billion (£15.2bn).

The Swiss is described by Forbes as ‘one of the most philanthropic people in the world’ with his charitable foundations having assets of over $2bn.

There are various estimates for Wyss’ net worth, but Forbes have him down for $5.1bn (£3.83bn).

Speaking to Swiss newspaper Blick, the 86-year-old said: ‘Abramovich is one of Putin’s closest advisers and friends. Like all other oligarchs, he is also in a state of panic.

‘Abramovich is trying to sell all his properties in England. He also wants to get rid of Chelsea quickly. I and three other people received an offer on Tuesday to buy Chelsea from Abramovich.’

Asked if he will take up the Russian on his offer, Wyss replied: ‘I have to wait four or five days now. Abramovich is currently asking far too much.

‘You know Chelsea owe him £2billion? But Chelsea has