The Roman Empire strikes back: Abramovich to swap Chelsea for Goztepe
James Shearman
- 23 Mar 2022 18:11 GMT
- 3 min read
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is reportedly in talks to purchase Turkish Super Lig club Goztepe.
The billionaire is currently in the process of selling the Blues, but is already said to be exploring another European football venture.
Abramovich wasn't planning on leaving Chelsea anytime soon, but put the club up for sale at the start of March as a result of pressure coming from his links to Russian president Vladimir Putin.
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And, on March 12, Abramovich was disqualified as Chelsea director after the UK government decided to impose sanctions on him and freeze his assets.
''Following the sanctions by the UK government, the Premier League board has disqualified Roman Abramovich as a director of Chelsea Football Club,'' read the Premier League statement.
''The board's decision does not impact on the club's ability to train and play its fixtures.''
Abramovich to buy Goztepe?
Clearly, Abramovich isn't done with making an impact on European football, with his sights set on owning another club in the near future.
According to Turkish newspaper Fanatik, Abramovich's representatives are in talks with Mehmet Sepil, the owner of Goztepe, over a potential takeover.
Fanatik claim that negotiations will continue over the coming days as both parties look to reach an agreement on the terms of the sale.
The news comes after Sepil announced that he would be exiting the Super Lig side at the end of the current campaign.
I feel Roman Abramovich would want to sell Chelsea to someone who will agree to keep the club’s structure and key personnels like Marina, Cech and Buck.
I don't know if Boehly will agree to it but Candy will definitely agree. I don't like him but Candy is a force to reckon with.— Vince™ (@Blue_Footy) March 23, 2022
Whether Abramovich would spend as excessively as he did at Chelsea remains unknown but, if his desire to win is similar to what it was, Goztepe fans can expect to enjoy silverware.
However, the Izmir-based club's supporters may not take kindly to the Russian, for the same reasons that he is no longer in charge of Chelsea.
