Abramovich ‘Will Receive Bids for Chelsea This Week’ after Facing Pressure to Step Aside for Being ‘Putin Ally’

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich ‘will receive bids for the club this week’ amid mounting pressure for the billionaire to step aside after being seen as an ally of Vladimir Putin.

Abramovich, one of the UK’s most high profile oligarchs, announced his intention to place the stewardship of the club in the hands of the trustees of the Chelsea Foundation last week – two days after Russian forces launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

It followed calls for the Russian to be banned from owning the football club, which he purchased in 2003, and other UK assets after he was labelled as an enabler of the Putin regime.

Abramovich responded by being named as an unlikely broker in a deal to end the war in Ukraine and reportedly arrived in Belarus to assist in peace talks yesterday.

His role as a broker in the talks was confirmed by his spokesperson, who claimed the mega-rich businessman had become involved after a request from the Jewish community in Kyiv.

However, offers are now being prepared to reach the Chelsea owner by the end of the week as the threat of Government sanctions loom over him.

At least three parties are interested in purchasing the west London club, The Telegraph reports