The Turkish sports newspaper, Fanatik, revealed that Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich is negotiating to buy the Turkish Göztepe team, after he offered Chelsea for sale.
The newspaper reported that negotiations between outgoing Göztepe President Mehmet Sibyl and Abramovich's representatives had already begun.
Göztepe, who comes from the city of Izmir, occupies the 18th place in the league among the 20 teams in the competition, and is two points away from the centers that will ensure that he continues in the elite league.
Abramovich was among 7 Russian billionaires added to the British sanctions list, in an attempt to isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war on Ukraine.
The Russian businessman, who also holds citizenships of Israel and Portugal, denies that he is close to Putin.
Abramovich's fortune, 55, is estimated at more than 12 billion euros, and he acquired Chelsea in 2003 and led him to the coronation of many titles, before he had to offer it for sale with mounting pressure on him due to the Ukraine crisis, but the sale process was suspended by a government decision imposing sanctions on Abramovich and allowed The London club may continue to operate under a temporary license.
A private plane for Abramovich arrived more than a week ago in Istanbul from Israel.
In his first appearance since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, pictures showed the billionaire sitting in the VIP lounge at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, where he was waiting for his huge Gulfstream plane, according to information from the "Flightradar 24" website. (Flightradar 24) is an electronic flight tracking device.
According to information reported by the French RMC website, Abramovich's trip to Turkey is to protect one of his most valuable possessions from the fires of sanctions, and the matter concerns his luxury yacht "Solaris", which is estimated to be worth 545 million euros, after booking many yachts owned by wealthy people. Ross last few days.
Abramovich decided earlier this month to sell Chelsea, and pledged to donate the money to help the victims of the Ukraine war.
"I have always taken decisions in the best interest of the club," he said in a statement. "In the current situation, I have taken the decision to sell, as I believe this is in the best interests of Chelsea, the fans and staff as well as the club's sponsors and partners."
The billionaire indicated that he would not ask for the money he provided to the club in the form of loans, and said, "It was never about profits or money for me, but pure passion for the game and the club."
"I have instructed my team to establish a charitable foundation in which all proceeds from the net sale will be donated. This foundation will be dedicated to the benefit of all victims of the war in Ukraine. This includes providing the necessary funds to meet the immediate and immediate needs of the victims, as well as supporting long-term recovery work."