Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman Reportedly Expressed Interest in Buying Chelsea
A week after Mexican authorities captured notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, Daniel Leo of Spanish outlet Sport (via FoxSoccer.com's Jamie Trecker) reported on Thursday he had previously expressed interest in purchasing English Premier League side Chelsea.
According to Sport, Mexican authorities divulged findings that confirmed Guzman was "seriously looking into purchasing" the club.
But as Trecker noted, the Premier League's "fit and proper person" test would have undoubtedly squashed Guzman's bid to buy the prestigious squad.
As the Daily Telegraph's Steve Wilson explained in 2009, the league conceptualized and instituted the rule in 2004 "as a way of safeguarding clubs against falling into the ownership of unscrupulous owners."
According to Forbes' 2015 soccer valuations, Chelsea ranked No. 6 among all world football clubs with an estimated team value of $1.37 billion. To put that figure into perspective, Spanish side Real Madrid clocked in at No. 1 with an estimated value of over $3.2 billion, while Barcelona ranked second at more than $3.1 billion.
Among Premier League teams, Chelsea ranked third behind Manchester United ($3.1 billion) and Manchester City ($1.38 billion).
While Guzman's reported interest makes for a fascinating story, it's hard to envision a world in which he would have been allowed to buy into the Premier League's exclusive fraternity.
