MMA star Conor McGregor wants to buy Chelsea from Russian oligarch

The future of Chelsea FC hangs in a balance after the UK government imposed sanctions on Russian companies and oligarchs who have close ties with President Vladimir Putin. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine last week, Russian assets were frozen in the UK and numerous other countries. As such, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich had to make the difficult decision to sell the club. MMA legend Conor McGregor has expressed his interest in becoming the proud new owner.

Following the announcement of the sanctions, Abramovich gave up control of the Blues and turned it over to the club's charitable foundation. However, a week later, it has been confirmed that the club will be put up for sale.

"During my nearly 20-year ownership of Chelsea, I have always viewed my role as a custodian of the club, whose job it is ensuring that we are as successful as we can be today, as well as build for the future, while also playing a positive role in our communities," he said in a statement released over the weekend.

However, the UK Charity Commission and the Chelsea Foundation trustees will need to iron out a lot of details in order to determine if it is in fact legal for the charity to assume control of the club. The process appears to be more complicated than Abramovich thought, and has now decided to sell.

The larger-than-life mixed martial arts fighter got wind of the sale, and has expressed his interest. McGregor is known for sensational headline-grabbing moves, and above all, he is known for being adept at making himself a ton of money.

"I wish to explore this," said the Irish fighter on Twitter, after sharing a screenshot of a conversation that informed him that Chelsea will be available for £3 billion. He is known to be a Manchester United fan, but it appears the prospect of owning the reigning UEFA Champions League title holders is too tempting to pass up.

Despite being the highest paid athlete last year according to Forbes, McGregor will likely need to become part of a consortium in order to actually afford the club. His net worth is only an estimated £135m, which hardly scratches the surface of what the club is worth.