Serena Williams, Lewis Hamilton join Martin Broughton's bid to buy Chelsea FC

A lot of interest, speculation and financial turbulence has rocked Chelsea FC ever since owner and oligarch Roman Abramovich put up the club for sale after Russian invasion of Ukraine. Final bids for the club were submitted earlier this month. However, a close source to the bid revealed to Reuters that tennis legend Serena Williams and F1 star Lewis Hamilton have joined Michael Broughton’s bid to buy Chelsea. Former Liverpool chairman Martin Broughton’s consortium includes World Athletics President Sebastian Coe and other financially well off investors from around the world. The group is of the opinion that all members want to maintain Chelsea’s top status. Crystal Palace co-owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer are also backing Broughton’s bid, with them set for a controlling stake if successful, as per reports. 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, as per a report by the Independent. Williams, who is already an investor in Angel City FC, and Hamilton have pledged an estimated 10 million pounds ($13.06 million) each to the bid. Other interested individuals include LA Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly and Boston Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca. Chicago Cubs owners, the Ricketts family, pulled out of the running recently. Chelsea FC’s sale is being overseen by U.S. bank Raine Group. Other investors reportedly in the consortium are the Rogers family (own $38bn market cap in Canadian media company Rogers Communications) and the Tsai family, which owns two Taiwanese sports teams. Abramovich cannot profit from the sale of his club due to the sanctions he is bound by. The club has been given a special licence to continue operating under restricted conditions. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  IPL Live Score ,  IPL 2022 schedule,  IPL 2022 Points table and  Entertainment News . Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.