Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Football London
Football London
Sport
Danyal Khan

Roman Abramovich makes first big footballing decision after Chelsea sanctions were announced

Soon to be former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is reportedly in talks to buy Turkish Super Lig club Goztepe amid his sale of the west London club.

With the appointed Raine Group in charge of choosing the next set of owners alongside senior figures like Marina Granovskaia and Bruce Buck at the club, the Russian's views on his successor is being left in the hands of his trusted allies. Whilst the process is ongoing with all interested parties set to hear back by Thursday, Abramovich is already moving on with his life post Chelsea.

The billionaire has been sanctioned by the UK government and more recently the EU. What wasn't expected was the major implications freezing his assets would have on the club and the day to day running has stretched the Blues to the limits with complications with selling tickets, merchandise and even getting to games coming to the fore in recent weeks.

READ MORE: Declan Rice told why Chelsea won't splurge £150m this summer amid Man Utd and Real Madrid talk

However, Thomas Tuchel has ensured that these complications have not affected on-pitch performances, as shown by the six-game winning streak that has been achieved during these turbulent times. With the international break upon us though, the takeover situation will now dominate the agenda until a conclusion is reached with the Brentford game in mind for Todd Boehly's consortium if they were to be the chosen one.

"It is a huge amount of money," Tuchel said regarding the £3billion price required to buy Chelsea. "That’s why I am also confident because I think if somebody buys a club for this kind of money then it’s about challenging at the highest kind of level, then it’s about trophies, then it’s about winning and it’s about being the best you can. It's not about developing a project, it's not about making money with the club."

With fans starting to look towards the future, Abramovich's recent actions have gone slightly under the radar, with the 55-year-old making a trip to Turkey from Tel Aviv. And it seems he may have been trying to secure his next club investment after the conclusion of his Chelsea tenure.

According to Turkish publication Fanatik, the Russian is keen to remain within the football industry and has now started negotiations to buy Super Lig club Goztepe. With Russia and their billionaires sanctioned by Turkey despite the actions of Vladimir Putin across the border, a Goztepe takeover for the oligarch could be his way of trying to move on from the club who had achieved a total of 21 trophies during his 19 years worth of stewardship.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.