Roman Abramovich has denied that he demanded personal repayment of around £1.5bn of debt owed by Chelsea, as American investors close in on buying the west London football club from the sanctioned Russian.
In a statement posted to Chelsea’s website on Thursday, Abramovich said it was “entirely false” to suggest that he had “asked for any loan to be repaid to him”.
Fordstam, Chelsea’s parent company, owes around £1.5bn to Camberley International Investments, a Jersey-based entity which has ties to Abramovich. The Channel island last month froze more than $7bn in assets linked to the oligarch, while Fordstam is operating under UK government restrictions that mean it is not free to make payments to other entities.