The disqualified Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit’s owner is one of the bidders to buy Premier League club Chelsea, a source familiar with the matter told The Associated Press Tuesday.
Amr Zedan is a Saudi-born investor who has filed his bid at the Raine Group. This bank is responsible for the sale of the current European and world champions. The bid was not public so they spoke under oath.
Zedan is the chairman of Zedan Group. This group is involved in Saudi Arabia’s energy and petrochemical sectors. It also features Zedan Racing Stables. He is married to Princess Noor bint Asem, a Jordanian.
Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by Britain for his close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. This was in the wake the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Zedan is one of six bidders that have been publicly disclosed for the west London club. Zedan is currently working to secure additional financing.
Zedan was not involved in the doping scandal which saw Medina Spirit become positive for betamethasone after the Kentucky Derby. This steroid is legal in Kentucky, but prohibited on race day. The positive test caused chaos in the world’s most famous horse race and put Bob Baffert under a lot of scrutiny.
Zedan, also the chairman of Saudi Polo Federation, is facing stiff competition to purchase Chelsea.
The British government must approve the buyout license. Abramovich cannot receive any proceeds from the sale.
The consortium includes Todd Boehly (part owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers), Hansjorg Wyss (Swiss billionaire), and Jonathan Goldstein (CEO of Cain International), a London-based property investor. According to reports, they have raised more than 2.5 billion pounds ($3.3 million) in bids.
Michael Broughton is the former chairman of Liverpool, British Airways and British Airways. He is now leading a consortium that also includes Sebastian Coe, the president of World Athletics and an IOC member. Coe is also a Chelsea fan.
The Ricketts family owns the Chicago Cubs and have partnered with Ken Griffin, a hedge fund manager, in a consortium. Joe Ricketts, chairman of TD Ameritrade’s electronic trading platform, made the family fortune. Tom Ricketts is Cubs chairman.
Nick Candy, a British property tycoon, revealed Monday that he had “significantly” increased his offer after submitting a bid of over 2 billion pounds ($2.6 million).
Candy’s “The Blue Football Consortium”, which features investment proposals from South Korean companies such as Hana Financial Group, C&P Sports Group, and another unidentified entity.
Centricus, a global investment firm based in London, submitted a bid.
