Conor McGregor tells Chelsea he’s interested in buying club from Roman Abramovich

Abramovich’s future owning Chelsea is uncertain after nearly two decades with the club

Conor McGregor has told Chelsea he wants to “explore” buying the club from Roman Abramovich.

Abramovich is considering his options as the threat of UK government sanctions looms. Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss has claimed he has been given the chance to buy Chelsea, and is preparing a consortium to submit an offer for the Stamford Bridge club.

An American-based merchant bank is understood to have contacted potential buyers, claiming to represent the Blues in a potential sale. Chelsea have not responded to Wyss’ claims or suggestions that the west London club could now be sold.

The 86-year-old billionaire Wyss has admitted he will look into the details of any possible deal to buy Chelsea, with the asking price thought to push beyond £2bn.

“Abramovich is trying to sell all his villas in England, he also wants to get rid of Chelsea quickly,” Wyss told Swiss newspaper Blick. “I and three other people received an offer on Tuesday to buy Chelsea from Abramovich.

“I have to wait four to five days now. Abramovich is currently asking far too much. You know, Chelsea owe him £2bn. But Chelsea has no money. As of today, we don’t know the exact selling price.”

UFC star McGregor has a net worth of more than £100m, according to Forbes, a vast fortune for a fighter but nowhere near enough money to buy Chelsea, although he could feasibly use his wealth and connections to help form a consortium.

The Irishman, who is currently building towards a return to UFC after breaking his leg last July, tweeted a screenshot from Whatsapp which appeared to show he had sent a message which read: “Chelsea for sale £3bn. Let’s buy it.”

It is unclear who McGregor was messaging. Alongside the image, he tweeted: “I wish to explore this. @ChelseaFC.”

McGregor recently provided an update on his recovery as well as a timeline for his return to the ring.

“April they said I can spar again and box again basically, so I’m just gonna take it day by day,” McGregor told Severe MMA. “Once I get back sparring I’ll know weight, I’ll know feel, I’ll know my own style. I’m gonna develop a different style, I imagine. I’ve been shadow boxing a bit lately, and I feel like I’m just getting the bearings of myself.

“But I feel good. I’m grounded on my feet, I can stop and start and take off. It’s just the little twists or torque that I’ve gotta be careful on. But this will be a ‘here today and gone tomorrow’ type of thing in my own head; the bone will recover, it’ll connect back to itself, and it’ll be like it never happened.”

Additional reporting by PA