Chelsea Owner Roman Abramovich Suffers Staggering £2.4bn Net-Worth Drop Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

Everyone knows that 2020 has got off to a terrible start. And the outbreak of the fast-spreading coronavirus around Europe has put plenty of us on edge. The deadly disease is infecting thousands of people all over the world, and it has subsequently forced the postponement of our beautiful game. 

Frankly, we're all ready to see the back of it. 

But perhaps Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich will be more keen that most of us. Not only is the coronavirus endangering our health, but it is also destroying the world's economy, and businesses have been forced to close their doors for quarantine around the globe. 

And according to ​the Moscow Times, the Chelsea owner has taken a serious hit to the pocket following the crippling effects of the virus on the financial markets. An eye-watering £2.4bn ​hit, to be exact. Ouch. 

But Abramovich is not the only one to be leaking money. Russia's leading billionaires have lost a combined £50.6bn since the turn of the year. That could buy you an inordinate amount of Kepa Arrizabalaga's!

The Russian businessman has owned Chelsea since 2003, and he has poured hundreds of millions of pounds into the club to transform them into a Premier League powerhouse. He hasn't been able to witness his project first hand since May 2018, however, when the government failed to renew his visa. 

As a result, Abramovich binned plans to build a new £500m stadium for his loyal supporters, and the financial backing has dried up somewhat.

It's probably for the best then that the Blues have been blessed with some of the country's most exciting young prospects, given that Abramovich may not be too keen on getting his chequebook out over the summer. 

Frank Lampard has brought through a number of youth academy products since his arrival last summer, and Scotsman Billy Glimour is the latest prodigy to take to the Stamford Bridge turf. 

You could only imagine that ​Chelsea's billionaire owner will be praying for ten more Gilmours to soften the blow to his pursestrings. 

Source : 90min