An African businessman has reportedly entered the race to buy Chelsea as potential suitors prepare for a bidding war.
Earlier this week, Roman Abramovich confirmed he was selling the Blues, and has reportedly set a deadline of mid-March to receive bids for the club following pressure on the British government to sanction him in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Despite that deadline, the Russian businessman has also insisted that he will not rush a deal as several investors and groups monitor the situation.
According to The Telegraph, the chief executive officer of Mantrac Group and Man Capital, Loutfy Mansour, is ready to launch a bid to take over the reigning European champions.
The Mansour family owns the Mansour Group, a huge Egyptian conglomerate that reportedly rakes in $7.5 billion (R114 billion) in annual revenues.
Loutfy is the head of the United Kingdom-based investment arm Man Capital, and is believed to be one of a number investors who are preparing a bid to buy the Premier League club.
The Egyptian billionaire is reportedly already a season ticket holder at Stamford Bridge, and has previously shown an interest in sports having announced a €100 million (R1.6 billion) partnership in 2021 with Right To Dream, a non-profit network of football academies founded 22 years ago in Africa, according to Sport Techie.
If Mansour does go on to secure ownership of Chelsea, he would become the second Egyptian club owner in the EPL, with Aston Villa co-owner Nassef Sawiris being the first.