(WXYZ) — Dan Gilbert is reportedly part of a group of people attempting to buy Chelsea Football Club from Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.
According to a report in Sky News, Gilbert has joined a group that includes the Ricketts family, who owns the Chicago Cubs, and Ken Griffin, a hedge fund tycoon.
Gilbert owns the Cleveland Cavaliers and several other sports teams through Rock Entertainment Group.
Sky News reports, citing sources, that Rock Entertainment Group agreed to invest a significant sum in the bid.
Abramovich agreed to hand over the control of the team to the Chelsea Charitable Foundation after Russia invaded Ukraine, and in March, he said he would be selling the club. The English Premier League also disqualified him as director of Chelsea FC.
In 2016, Gilbert joined forces with Detroit Pistons Owner Tom Gores in a bid to bring a Major League Soccer team to Detroit. Originally, there was a plan to build a stadium on the failed Wayne County Jail site.
A year later, the Ford family joined the bid which would have had the MLS team play at Ford Field. Instead, the MLS awarded new teams to other cities.
According to Sky, final bids for Chelsea FC are due April 11, and three other groups are also planning to submit bids. It's expected the price could go beyond 2.5 billion Euros.
