Lewis Hamilton and Serena Williams are two of the high-profile sportspeople each committing “millions” of pounds towards one of the three bids to buy out Chelsea.
The consortium they are reportedly involved with is that which is headed by former Liverpool chairman Sir Martin Broughton.
Lord Sebastian Coe is also backing Broughton’s bid with Crystal Palace co-owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer also heavily linked with joining.
Sky News report that each will pledge an estimated £10m to the cause, having both become “established investors” in different sporting areas in recent years.
Against that bid comes opposition from Boston Celtics owner Steve Pagliuca and LA Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly, while a fourth option headed up by the Ricketts family is no longer in the running after withdrawing their bid.
Hamilton, 37, is a seven-time Formula One world champion and is currently preparing for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix this weekend, where he will race with his team Mercedes. Williams, 40, has won 23 Grand Slam titles during her tennis career and was ranked WTA No1 for 319 weeks in total.
Through Serena Ventures, her venture capital fund, Williams recently announced an investment in a British sports technology startup firm called Opensponsorship, which describes itself as an “influencer marketing agency platform”.
Williams is also already an investor in Los Angeles’ Angel City FC, which plays in the National Women’s Soccer League in the United States.
League rules dictate Harris and Blitzer would need to offload their stake in Crystal Palace prior to becoming part owners in Chelsea, should the Broughton bid prove successful.
Other investors reported to be involved in the consortium include the Rogers family, who own the $38bn market cap Canadian media company Rogers Communications, and the owners of two Taiwanese sports teams, the Tsai family.
The club’s sale is being overseen by U.S. bank Raine Group.
Additional reporting by Reuters
