Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich is sounding out wealthy Gulf businessmen about selling Chelsea Football Club, The Sunday Times newspaper reported. Citing Gulf sources, the weekly broadsheet said Abramovich's representatives had travelled to Saudi Arabia and Dubai to elicit interest in the English Premier League title-chasers.
One unnamed source said: "Abramovich's team have been out in the Middle East sounding out what interest there is in buying the club." The report said there was no evidence so far of a potential buyer, while the club's chief executive insisted that the Blues were not up for sale. Abramovich is in third place with his wealth estimated to have fallen from 10 billion pounds to seven billion as a result of the current economic crisis.