Saudi Media’s bid to buy Chelsea includes plans of stadium redevelopment and contract extensions of key players in Thomas Tuchel’s squad, according to Goal.
The Saudi Arabian group is reportedly led by Mohamed Alkhereiji, who runs Saudi Media and is the CEO of its parent company Engineer Holding Group.
The report mentioned that Alkhereiji has previously lived in the UK. He and his children are reportedly are Chelsea fans, which is why he is keen on acquiring the club.
Alkhereiji himself is already familiar with investing in football, having already built a state-of-art stadium for Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr and also worked with Al-Hilal, based on the report.
Unsurprisingly, Saudi Media’s reported bid is said to involve plans to ensure the team remains competitive by keeping the key players, particularly Antonio Rudiger and Cesar Azpilicueta.
Rudiger and Azpilicueta, whose contracts at Chelsea expire at the end of the season, are influential figures in the dressing room.
The Blues had reportedly been in contact with the pair’s representatives before the recent sanctions put any negotiations to a halt.
Aside from the men’s team, Saudi Media also reportedly intends to continue to invest heavily in the club’s academy and women’s team.
Saudi Media itself is said to be the biggest media group in the Middle East, reportedly turning over £770million a year.
The Goal’s report, however, emphasised that Saudi Media’s takeover bid also involve a consortium of other private backers from Saudi Arabia.
The most interesting part is that Saudi Media is said to be confident that they do not fall into the “politically sensitive” parties that Chelsea would prefer to avoid.
Unlike Newcastle United, who were recently acquired by Saudi Arabian state via its Public Investment Fund, Saudi Media is claimed to be “an entirely private entity with no direct ties to a particular ruler or government”.
Chelsea sale expected to go ahead despite sanctions
The UK government previously stated that they would allow the sale of Chelsea to continue as long as the money does not go to Abramovich, who is under sanctions.
“While the current licence does not permit the sale of the club at this time, the Government is open to a sale of the club and would consider an application for a new licence to allow for a sale,” the official statement reads.
“Proceeds from any sale could not go to the sanctioned individual while he is subject to sanctions.”
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