Friday, January 23, 2009

Al-Fahim Returns To Broker Chelsea Takeover Bid


The man who brought the Sheikh to City is hoping to convince the Blues' Russian owner to sell up...

Chelsea could yet change hands, despite Roman Abramovich and his lawyers' insistence to the contrary, as a Swiss firm backed by German businessmen are considering a takeover bid for the Premier League club.

The negotiations, if they do eventually take place, will be handled by Dr Sulaiman Al-Fahim, the very same man who brokered Abu Dhabi United Group's purchase of Manchester City last year.

Speaking to The Guardian, Al Fahim said, "It's not entirely clear if Chelsea is for sale, but regardless of that, we first need to see if we are in a position to buy it.

"Given that Roman Abramovich has invested over £500m into the club, it would not be cheap, and with the current credit crunch, nobody wants to be over-exposed on one deal.

"But through a number of investors, there is money available to put together a deal."

Abramovich has already made it perfectly clear that he does not wish to sell the Blues, taking the publishers of The Sunday Times to court after they claimed he was looking to cash in on the club.

Nevertheless, a spokesperson for Falcon Equity - the aforementioned Swiss firm - told the Arabian Business website, "We have looked before at some European clubs to see if the numbers added up, and now we are doing the same with Chelsea.

"I don't believe anything is ever not for sale if you come up with the right price. It's not about trying to buy a football team but about a business.

"You don't make money because 11 guys run around the pitch, you make money because of all the other commercial aspects that go with a football club, particularly real estate and television rights."

Chelsea aren't the only English giants facing a potential takeover, as Liverpool recently entered talks with Kuwaiti billionaire Nasser Al-Khafari.


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