How much did Roman Abramovich pay for Chelsea?

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich confirmed Wednesday that he is looking to sell the club.

“The sale of the club will not be fast-tracked but will follow due process,” he said in a statement issued through the club’s official website. “I will not be asking for any loans to be repaid. This has never been about business nor money for me, but about pure passion for the game and club.”

He added that with the net proceeds from the sale he would be setting up a charitable foundation “for the benefit of all victims of the war in Ukraine [which] includes providing critical funds towards the urgent and immediate needs of victims, as well as supporting the long-term work of recovery.”

MORE: Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is selling the club | Who will buy Chelsea?

How much did Roman Abramovich pay for Chelsea?

Roman Abramovich is believed to have paid around £140 million ($233 million at the time) for the club in 2003. He bought the club in June that year from Ken Bates, who had himself bought the club in 1982. However, Bates’ purchase price was just £1 — although he also had to take on debts of £1.5 million at the time.

How much did Roman Abramovich invest in Chelsea?

Since buying Chelsea in 2003, Roman Abramovich has invested more than £1 billion ($1.4 billion). His loans to the club are thought to be around £1.5 billion ($2 billion). 

Estimations from Transfermarkt suggest that since Abramovich bought the club, expenditures have totaled £2.1 billion ($2.8 billion) on 490 incoming players. Around the same number of players have been offloaded, with 487 leaving Stamford Bridge — but for much lower fees. That means net expenditures have been almost £1 billion ($1.3 billion).

That includes a spell when Chelsea were handed a transfer ban for two windows in 2019-20 for issues around their academy recruitment.

The cash was splashed significantly in the first year of Abramovich’s reign, with $162 million spent, a single-season high of $337 million in 2017-18, and $136 million in 2021-22.

What is Chelsea FC worth today? 

According to Forbes, the club was worth around £2.4 billion ($3.2 billion) in April 2021, but a KPMG valuation now suggests it is worth £1.5 billion ($2.1 billion).