Stephen Pagliuca has reportedly been attempting to drum up extra support ahead of the deadline for final bids to buy Chelsea.
According to Sky News, several businessmen have been approached by the Boston Celtics owner, as he tries to win the race for Roman Abramovich’s empire.
Pagliuca’s wish upon a star
Amongst Pagliuca’s contact list appears to be the former executive chairman of Disney, Bob Iger.
The 71-year-old stepped down from his role in December, having previously run the entire company between 2005 and 2015.
As of 2020, Iger’s wealth was estimated at $800m (£609m), meaning he would become a shareholder if he joined Pagliuca’s group and succeeded in acquiring Chelsea.
All of the four candidates shortlisted by the Raine Group are gathering additional resources before next Monday’s closing date for offers.
Yesterday, it was reported by the Telegraph that the Ricketts family-led consortium are still seeking out extra investments.
This is despite only recently adding Dan Gilbert, the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, to their team.
The Ricketts also have billionaire Ken Griffin in their corner.
Money everywhere you look
Elsewhere, Todd Boehly has Hansjorg Wyss and property developer Jonathan Goldstein rooting for him.
Sir Martin Broughton is being backed by Josh Harris and David Blitzer, stakeholders in rival Premier League side Crystal Palace.
The quartet of remaining parties will hold meetings in London this week with Chelsea board members, staff and the club’s advisers at Raine Group.
Here, they have a chance to pitch their plans for the takeover, including what they attend to do with potentially renovating Stamford Bridge.
Revamping the stadium remains one of the top priorities for each of the bidders, something Abramovich failed to do across his long tenure.
Once all the proposals have been submitted, the Raine Group will pass on the information to the Premier League and the UK government.
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