Hansjorg Wyss net worth: How rich is the potential new Chelsea owner?

As a United States-based philanthropist and environmentalist, billionaire Hansjorg Wyss is one of the richest men to come out of Switzerland.

With the recent news emerging that Roman Abramovich‘s position as Chelsea owner is in disarray, the club appears to be looking towards new stewardship.

Read: Roman Abramovich’s daughter distances her family from Vladimir Putin and Kremlin

Amid Russia’s current invasion of Ukraine, Abramovich has been a hot topic in politics given his ‘strong ties’ with Vladimir Putin.

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In response to the scrutiny, the Russian billionaire is terrified of having his assets frozen. As such, he is desperately attempting to sell his holdings.

As per the Telegraph, Abramovich has offered Wyss ownership of Chelsea FC for around £4 billion.

The news outlet understands that the New York-based merchant bank, Raine, contacted potential buyers after claiming to be in charge of Chelsea’s sale.

The report goes on to state that the Russian billionaire can only expect to receive bids in the region of £2 billion.

“Abramovich is trying to sell all his villas in England, he also wants to get rid of Chelsea quickly,” Wyss responded, as quoted by the Guardian.

“I and three other people received an offer on Tuesday to buy Chelsea from Abramovich. I have to wait four to five days now.

“Abramovich is currently asking far too much. You know, Chelsea owe him £2 billion. But Chelsea has no money. As of today, we don’t know the exact selling price.”

How did Hansjorg Wyss make his money?

After studying at Harvard, Wyss started his money-making journey as an engineer around the world.

The Swiss businessman later went on to make his riches through medical device manufacturing. Wyss founded Synthes USA back in 1977.

Synthes USA are known for making internal screws and plates for broken bones. Wyss had a major hands-on role in the company until his retirement in 2007. For the following five years, he continued with the company as chairman.

The now 86-year-old eventually sold the company to Johnson & Johnson for $20.2 billion in 2012.

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Many have labelled Wyss as one of the most philanthropic people in the world. The billionaire prides himself on his charitable foundations, with assets of over $2 billion.

The businessman continues to make major donations to environmental and scientific institutions, including the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities and Health Leads.

As far as sport goes, Wyss has never run or owned a sporting team.

Chelsea would be new territory.

What is Hansjorg Wyss’ net worth?

As with any billionaire, it’s hard to tie Wyss’s net worth down to exactly one figure.

Forbes has valued him as being worth a total of $5.1 billion, ranking him as the 451st-richest person in the world.

What are Thomas Tuchel’s thoughts on the matter?

In his side’s pre-match press conference on Tuesday ahead of Chelsea’s midweek FA Cup tie, Tuchel was reluctant to speak on the sale of the club.

“I’m not so sure I’m the person to give messages to the fans. We try to be calm here, we are calm in the centre of a storm or some noise around us we cannot control.

“We are not responsible for it. In the end, it’s best to stay calm and focus on what we love and what we do. This is sports.

“We have a right to focus on sports, the players have a right to be focused.”

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