Pakistani businessman and Peshawar Zalmi chairperson Javed Afridi has been one of the first people to bid on Chelsea FC, according to a report in Khaleej Times less than a day after club owner Roman Abramovich announced that he will sell the club to protect its best interests.

A meeting has already been held in this regard between Afridi’s team and a sports as well as legal agency in the United Kingdom on March 2. Afridi is not the only one interested in The Blues, as many investors believe it is the right time to invest in football.

However, his toughest competition may be Swiss billionaire Hansjoerg Wyss, who has claimed that Abramovich offered, on March 1, to sell the club to him and two other billionaires that he did not name. MMA fighter Conor Mcgregor also showed interest in buying the club and tagged them in a tweet, saying he wanted to explore it further.

Abramovich, who is of Russian descent, released a statement on Chelsea FC’s official website, addressing the speculation around the club and his ownership. The statement read “In the current situation, I have therefore taken the decision to sell the club, as I believe this is in the best interest of the Club, the fans, the employees, as well as the Club’s sponsors and partners

He further said that football and the club were never about money for him, so he will not be keeping the proceeds from the sale and will instead donate them for organisations that are helping Ukraine with aid and supplies.

If the deal goes through, Afridi will become the second Pakistani to buy an English football club. In 2013, Pakistan born billionaire Shahid Khan or Shad Khan bought Fulham from its long time owner, Mohamed Al Fayed.

Abramovich turned the club into one of the biggest teams in Europe after he purchased it in June of 2003. Under his ownership, Chelsea won five Premier League titles, five FA Cup Trophies, as well as two Champions League trophies in 2012 and 2021 respectively.

In the backdrop of Abramovich quickly liquidating his assets, there are fears and speculation that UK maybe moving too slowly to sanction those with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.