The Premier League is about to undergo one of its biggest changes in some time in the coming weeks when Todd Boehly is confirmed as the new owner of Chelsea, replacing Roman Abramovich.
The American businessman and his consortium have been successful after weeks of talks and gossip in their bid to buy Chelsea, with BBC Sport reporting that the Blues will be sold to Boehly for £4.25bn, the most expensive takeover ever of any sports club.
The move will signal a new era for Chelsea and a new dawn for the Premier League, with the future of the Blues still uncertain given how unknown the club’s spending powers will be compared to their former Russian owner.
Indeed, the new ownership at Chelsea could be an exciting one for supporters, and with Boehly taking over, HTIC Sport look at seven other billionaires who are reportedly fans of Premier League clubs.
Aliko Dangote – Arsenal
As the most historic and one of the biggest sides in London, it makes sense why Arsenal have some fairly big-name fans from around the world who support the club, and in Africa, you can’t get any bigger than Aliko Dangote.
One of the richest men on the continent with an estimated net worth of $14bn (£11bn), the Nigerian business magnate has never kept a low profile of his love for Arsenal, with Dangote even expressing this year his plans of one day owning the north London side, a move that many supporters will be happy to see come through.
Daniel Ek – Arsenal
From one billionaire Arsenal fan with dreams of owning the club to one who has made moves to take the club from KSE, Daniel Ek made waves last year when the Spotify founder posted on Twitter his intentions of submitting a bid to buy the club from Stan Kroenke.
https://twitter.com/eldsjal/status/1385667437929062403
After the collapsed European Super League project in which Arsenal were involved, Ek formed a consortium with legends Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira to submit a formal offer to take over the north London side, an attempt that was swiftly shot down by KSE.
Jay-Z – Arsenal
The third and final Arsenal fan on this list, Jay-Z has spoken out in recent years about his support for the Gunners, with the American musician also one of the few names in the entertainment world to break into the billionaires’ club.
From owning record companies to nightclubs to some astute investments, Jay-Z is one of the richest musicians on the planet as well as one of the most influential figures in the world of culture, and for Arsenal fans, many would be pleased to see the Brooklyn-born rapper take over the Kroenke’s.
Dr. Dre – Liverpool
From one hip-hop legend to another, it might come as a surprise to some to know that Dr. Dre is a Liverpool supporter and has been since the late 1990s, and like Jay-Z, the Compton rapper is one of the richest individuals in the world of music.
After selling Beats to Apple for a reported €3bn, Dre currently sits as one of the wealthiest men in music, and just like Jay-Z, the NWA rapper is one of the most powerful figures in entertainment based on his links to the iPhone creators.
LeBron James – Liverpool
LeBron James took a stake in Liverpool way back in 2011, and 11 years on from the business move, the NBA legend has seen his piece in the Premier League club multiply so much that the basketball icon is now a billionaire.
As well as a fan of the club, LeBron is set to take part in Liverpool’s kit launches with Nike over the coming weeks as reported by the Echo, a move that could see the Reds’ social media reach hit new levels with the superstar athlete involved.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe – Manchester United
The richest man in Britain and a figure who has been in the news recently for making an eleventh-hour bid to buy Chelsea, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been noted for years for being a Manchester United support.
Already an owner of Ligue 1 side OGC Nice, Ratcliffe has been linked with buying the Red Devils for years, though given these recent links to Chelsea, it looks unlikely that the chemical engineer and businessman will be making a move to buy United anytime soon.
Jonathan Goldstein – Tottenham
A figure involved in Boehly’s takeover of Chelsea, London-based property investor Jonathan Goldstein is actually a long-time supporter of Tottenham, with Cain International, an investment firm owned by the Essex-born Spurs fan, having assets worth £8bn as per the Daily Mail.
Playing a role in financing Tottenham’s new stadium and having a signed boot of Harry Kane in his office, Goldstein has deep ties to Spurs as well as the surrounding area of the club, which is what makes his involvement in Boehly’s successful consortium an interesting footnote.
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