Twenty-three-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams and seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton could soon own a piece of Premier League powerhouse Chelsea. According to ESPN, Williams and Hamilton joined a group of investors led by British businessman Martin Broughton.
The two world-class athletes have been in discussions to back Broughton’s bid for several weeks now. Reportedly, both Williams and Hamilton agreed to contribute £10 million each.
Broughton’s bid, one of three shortlisted by U.S. bank Raine Group, already has numerous high-profile investors. Broughton himself was once a chairman for another Premier League club Liverpool. In addition, he is backed by the Philadelphia 76ers’ majority owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer, World Athletics president Sebastian Coe, and “many other wealthy investors.”
Raine Group opened the bidding for Chelsea last month and considered many bids before shortlisting four that had the most potential earlier in April. Since then, the Ricketts family, who own the Chicago Cubs, decided to withdraw their bid after facing backlash from Chelsea fans.
The two remaining bids that will go against Broughton’s group are both led by American investors. One is fronted by the Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly while the other has Steve Pagliuca, the co-owner of the Boston Celtics, as its most prominent figure.
