Report: LA Dodgers Owner Todd Boehly Considering 2nd Bid for Chelsea FC

Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly is reportedly considering a new bid to take over Premier League club Chelsea despite suggestions Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich has no interest in selling.

Matt Law of the Telegraph wrote that Boehly—who is said to have a net worth of almost £5 billion—has prioritised Chelsea as he continues his search to buy a club in the top tier of English football.

Abramovich is understood to value his club at more than £3 billion and isn't interested in entering negotiations, though that isn't thought to have deterred Boehly in his pursuit. 

Per Law, Abramovich has turned down four approaches to sell Chelsea in the past 18 months, during which time he's been banned from working in the United Kingdom due to a visa dispute.

He could travel to England using his Israeli passport, but Abramovich is said to feel used in tensions between Russia and the United Kingdom, per Tom Morgan and Jason Burt of the Telegraph.

Abramovich has the means to continue his work with Chelsea from afar, but the standoff has created a noticeable distance between owner and club (he's now missed 48 home games):

The most recent of those offers is understood to have come from Boehly, who is apparently willing to wait it out in his effort to buy the Blues.

Metro reported Boehly owns 20 percent of the Dodgers, and he is also a part-owner of Women's National Basketball Association team the Los Angeles Sparks.

The former president of Guggenheim Partners was previously part of a consortium that attempted to purchase Tottenham Hotspur in 2014, and he'll be hoping for better success with a different London outfit.

He spoke to Bloomberg (h/t Law) in September and campaigned on why he wants to invest in the Premier League:

“Football's the biggest sport in the world, the passion the fans have for the sport and the teams is unparalleled. So what you are trying to build with these teams, you are really trying to a) win and b) be part of the community.

“The opportunity we had with the Dodgers was really about part-ownership with Los Angeles, how are we going to win, how are we going to drive championships and how are we going to build passion. If you look at what the Premier League offers, it's all of those things.”

The delayed £1 billion plans to redevelop Stamford Bridge could play a big role in any negotiations that are to come. The planning permission for the project expires on March 31, 2020, and the likes of Boehly will be encouraged to continue the pursuit if Abramovich allows that deadline passes without further action.