According to Sky News, Formula One driver Sir Lewis Hamilton has joined tennis superstar Serena Williams in a bid to acquire Chelsea Football Club. The two international athletes are rumoured to be joining Sir Martin Broughton’s takeover proposal, which is one of three remaining for the Blues.
The seven-time racing champion and former world number one in women’s tennis are alleged to have each committed £10 million to Broughton’s bid. Hamilton and Williams have both been known to dabble in investing in recent years.
Former Liverpool chairman Broughton is joined in the bidding contest by Steve Pagliuca and Todd Boehly, with the Ricketts Family pulling out after failing to submit a final proposal by the deadline of late last week. Chelsea was sold as owner Roman Abramovich chose to sell the club after the UK government imposed penalties on him.
The sanctions were implemented in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Blues were placed under a special sports license when Abramovich’s assets were frozen, which included restrictions such as not being able to sell tickets or goods, as well as a ban on travel expenditures.
Raine Bank was then tasked with supervising the offers, with the Russian owner reportedly having the ultimate say in the decision. Several bid deadlines have passed, and with three bidders remaining, the American bank plans to identify a preferred bidder soon.
Hamilton and Williams join a long list of high-profile figures in the bidding process, but the former’s presence may come as a surprise given his long-standing love for Arsenal. Lord Sebastian Coe, the President of World Athletics, is also a part of the Broughton proposal, as with a number of other investors from a variety of backgrounds.
After the Ricketts’ family bid had to distance themselves from prior Islamophobic charges, the sporting duo had become proponents of promoting equality in and outside of their respective sports, something that had been a major emphasis of the Chelsea acquisition process. They’ve dropped out of the race, leaving only Pagliuca and Boehly beside Broughton.