Lewis Hamilton appears to be interested in becoming a football club owner, with rumours claiming that he and tennis star pal Serena Williams are linked to a bid to buy Chelsea FC.
A source close to the deal told Reuters on Thursday that former tennis world number one Serena Williams and seven-time Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton have joined Martin Broughton’s quest to buy Premier League club Chelsea.
The Two of the world’s most famous athletes have entered a bid to purchase Chelsea FC from sanctioned Russian businessman Roman Abramovich.
Lewis Hamilton’s representative revealed to Insider that the seven-time Formula One world champion has joined a partnership led by British billionaire Martin Broughton to buy Chelsea.
Broughton’s consortium comprises World Athletics President Sebastian Coe and affluent businessmen from around the world, all of whom, according to the group, want to keep Chelsea at the top.
Josh Harris and David Blitzer, who own sports franchises such as the Philadelphia 76ers in the National Basketball Association, are also supporting Broughton’s proposal.
Sky had previously reported his participation, claiming that tennis legend Serena Williams had also joined the campaign.
According to Sky, both Hamilton and Williams have committed roughly $13 million to the multibillion-dollar contract, though Hamilton’s side has rejected this.
Serena Ventures did not respond to an Insider request for comment, and Williams has yet to confirm her involvement.
The other two proposals are from a consortium led by Todd Boehly, co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball franchise, and Stephen Pagliuca, who owns half of both the NBA’s Boston Celtics and Italian soccer team Atalanta.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, Abramovich, a Russian billionaire with close ties to President Vladimir Putin, put Chelsea up for sale, claiming that his continuing engagement with the club was an unneeded distraction. The UK government sanctioned him a few days later, putting the deal in jeopardy.
The UK, on the other hand, issued a special permission to allow the sale to commence, with the American bank Raine Group leading the charge. The licence was issued on the condition that the new owner receives approval from the UK government.
Raine began bidding in March and was able to narrow down a number of offers to the final three options last week. Raine is likely to make a choice on which application to present to the UK government in the coming days.
While it is unknown which proposal will win, Broughton’s consortium is unique in that it is led by a British citizen. Both Boehly and Pagliuca are from the United States.
Hamilton and Williams are both well-known investors. Serena Ventures, Williams’ investment venture, has already secured $111 million in its first round of funding, with the goal of supporting firms that embrace diversity.
Hamilton participated in a $200 million fundraising round for Zapp, a UK-based speedy grocery delivery firm, according to CNBC.
