Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich wants to sell his $3 billion English soccer club and several Americans are rumored to be interested

Roman Abramovich is selling Chelsea after almost two decades as owner.Getty/Alexander Hassenstein

• Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich announced he is selling English soccer club Chelsea FC.
• A group led by Swedish billionaire Hansjörg Wyss appeared to be early front-runners.

The race to purchase one of the biggest soccer clubs in the world is on, and a group of American billionaires is leading the pack.

Soon after the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent calls for the UK government to seize assets of Russian billionaires, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich announced his intention to sell English Premier League club Chelsea FC.

According to ESPN, Abramovich wants "at least" $3.9 billion (£3 billion) for the club. Chelsea FC was valued at $3.2 billion in Forbes' most recent valuations of the top soccer teams. Abramovich became owner of Chelsea in 2003, purchasing its parent company for $230 million.

Below we take a look at the names that are reportedly interested in becoming the new owners of the Premier League powerhouse.