New York Jets owner Robert “Woody” Johnson is readying a bid for Chelsea FC in the English Premier League, according to sources close to the situation.
Johnson already has spoken to Raine Group, which is organizing the bid process, per sources, and he now is vying to become the latest NFL owner to buy into the Premier League.
There are natural synergies with both organizations as the Jets were just awarded marketing rights to the NFL’s U.K. International Home Marketing Areas program. New York and London are sister cities, culturally and economically.
Johnson is considered to be very knowledgeable of the Chelsea club and the Premier League, having lived in London, where he served as the United States’ ambassador.
While there, Johnson is said to have become a fan of the organization and its supporters, and he is aware of the important role the Premier League plays throughout the United Kingdom.
There currently are multiple NFL owners who own English Premier League teams: Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke and Arsenal F.C., the Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ Glazer family and Manchester United, and the San Francisco 49ers‘ owner Jed York has a minority stake in Leeds United. Former Premier League club Fulham F.C., which leads the Championship table and is primed for a promotion back into England’s top league, is owned by Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan.
Chelsea is currently owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, whose decision to sell the club has apparently been influenced by mounting pressure on the U.K. government to seize the assets of high-value Russian individuals with links to Russia President Vladimir Putin’s regime after the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Abramovich has always denied any ties to Putin.
Sources have told ESPN’s James Olley that Abramovich is seeking around £3 billion ($3.93 billion) for the club. Chelsea, which won the UEFA Champions League last year as Europe’s top club team, is in third place in the Premier League.
