Premier League: Who is Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the owner of Ineos who offered a £4 billion bid for Chelsea?

The Premier League already has news about the sale of the Blues, as Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the owner of Ineos offered 4 billion pounds for Chelsea. But who is he?

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This colossal offer seems to be the solution to the problems of Roman Abramovich, the Russian billionaire who currently owns the English club.

But in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, European authorities at different levels have imposed sanctions on the club, because Abramovich has always been very close to Vladimir Putin. 

And the sanctions have been so strong that they are practically strangling the club by freezing its finances, as for several weeks now the club has been unable to buy or renew players, and to receive income from ticket sales or the sale of merchandise. 

Abramovich has therefore had an urgency to sell the club and everything seems to indicate that Jim Ratcliffe's offer could be the solution to his problems and those of the club, which was eliminated from the UEFA Champions League. 

Who is Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the owner of Ineos who offered £4 billion for Chelsea?

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is the chairman of chemical giant INEOS, but he is also a Chelsea fan and owner of the Nice and Lausanne teams, as well as a cycling team and British America's Cup sailing team.

"We are the only British bid, our motives for buying Chelsea are purely footballing and for the good of the club, we have no intention of benefiting financially because we make money in other ways," the Briton told the media. 

The businessman does not have a high public profile and British media outlet The Sunday Times has described him as "publicity shy." But despite his shyness, in May 2018, he was recognized as the richest person in the UK, with a net worth of £21.05 billion.

And as of April 2020, the Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimated his net worth at $28.2 billion, making him ranked as the 55th richest in the world and second in the UK. 

INEOS said £2.5 billion ($3.1 billion) of the offering is committed to a charitable fund to help victims of the war in Ukraine. A further £1.75 billion ($2.2 billion) will be invested in the club over the next 10 years.

If Ratcliffe buys Chelsea, the club will become invincible

This statement seems exaggerated but just look at the club's performance this year, when the sanctions started.

The Blues were eliminated from the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League, but even with the economic crisis they are going through, they were able to reach this stage without showing any signs of being affected by the sanctions. 

They are also in third place in the Premier League and although their chances of winning the title are very slim, the fact that their performance in this competition has not been affected is a good sign for any investor. 

Therefore, once the sale of the club to Ratcliffe is finalized, the Blues will once again be an unstoppable machine as they were before the sanctions against Roman Abramovich began. 

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