According to multiple reports, tennis star Serena Williams and Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton have joined Martin Broughton’s bid to buy the English Premier League club Chelsea.
Broughton is the former Liverpool chairman and is leading one of three remaining bids for Chelsea after Roman Abramovich put the club up for sale in March. In addition to Hamilton and Williams, Broughton’s consortium includes World Athletics President Sebastian Coe as well as Josh Harris and David Blitzer, who own and run Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Devils.
It was also reported that Williams and Hamilton pledged more than $10 million to become the new owners of Chelsea.
This isn’t Williams first foray into football. The Nike athlete invested in Los Angeles’ National Women’s Soccer League team, Angel City FC.
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Today, Hamilton confirmed his involvement while talking to press ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola this weekend, telling reporters the he has spoken with Williams about the deal.
“We did speak about it. We spoke multiple times. Serena and I are very close, so we are constantly in touch. She’s a phenomenal athlete and woman. We spoke about it, she asked me what my thoughts were about it, and I told her that I’m going to be a part of it and she was excited to join,” he said.
The other remaining bidders in the running to buy the Chelsea football club include Todd Boehly, the part-owner of the L.A. Dodgers, and Steve Pagliuca, who owns stakes in the Boston Celtics.
