A billionaire from the Cotswolds has confirmed that he is in talks to buy Chelsea football club alongside his popstar wife, GloucestershireLive reports.
A spokesperson for property tycoon Nick Candy and former Neighbours star Holly Valance has told a journalist that he is currently working on a £2.5billion bid for Chelsea which should go in by the end of the week.
Although the 49-year-old Chelsea fan says his family are loving life in the countryside in their £10m Cotswolds home, they reportedly still have their £75 million flat near the Stamford Bridge football ground as well.
Roman Abramovich had recently valued the club at £3 billion, though the Russian is looking for a quick sale amid rumours he may face sanctions over Ukraine.
Read More: Are people in Wales driving less with the cost of fuel continuing to rise?
The billionaire couple who count royals, celebrities and politicians in their friendship group, and were recently seen attending the wedding of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank, are said to be exploring a number of options for a potential bid.
"Nick Candy is actively exploring a number of options for a potential bid for Chelsea Football Club," his spokesperson confirmed to Sportsmail. "Any bid would be made in conjunction with another party (or consortium) and we have serious interest from several international partners.
"Mr Candy has a huge affinity with Chelsea. His father was asked to play for the club and he has been watching matches at Stamford Bridge since the age of four. The club deserves a world-class stadium and infrastructure and Mr Candy's unique expertise and background in real estate would be a hugely valuable asset to delivering this vision."
Candy is said to be talking to American investors about the Chelsea takeover and the proposal is said to include plans for a stalled multi-billion-pound rebuild of the Stamford Bridge football stadium. He is also planning a massive makeover of the historic house he shares with wife Holly and daughters Luka, seven, and Nova, three, in the Cotswolds.
Confirming they had bought the Cotswold mansion which has its own pool, stables and tennis court, he told Richard Eden of MailOnline last summer: "We have been looking for years to get something in the Cotswolds for the family, and finally, a year ago, we found a gorgeous family home in a wonderful village. We're very immersed in our quiet country life at weekends and adore the friendly and welcoming village."
Valance began her acting career playing Felicity Scully in the Australian soap opera Neighbours and went on to become a pop star with hits such as Kiss Kiss and Down Boy before marrying Candy in 2012.
Nick Candy and his younger brother Christian turned a £50,000 profit on a one-bedroom flat in Earls Court into a £1.5 billion property empire which includes London’s One Hyde Park, NoHo Square and the redevelopment of the former Chelsea Barracks.
Their company, Candy & Candy, became Candy Property in 2018 to reflect Nick’s sole ownership, He expanded his interests and owns a stake in podcast platform Audioboom and fundraised for Conservative Shaun Bailey’s London mayoral campaign.
American merchant bank The Raine Group are said to have 20 expressions of interest in Chelsea but around six serious contenders ahead of Tuesday's deadline.
Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss and LA Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly have already submitted a joint bid and others said to be in the running for the club are New York Jets owner Woody Johnson and Turkish businessman Muhsin Bayrak.
Sign up to one of our WalesOnline newsletters to get the best stories sent straight to your inbox here
