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Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, who led Chelsea Football Club through its most successful era before being forced to sell it in 2022, is reportedly considering a move into Turkish football with a major investment in Galatasaray.
According to the Turkish news outlet sozcu.com.tr, the Russian oligarch plans to move to Istanbul and become one of the most prominent stakeholders in the Lions.
Abramovich first entered the football world in 2003 with his acquisition of Chelsea FC. Over nearly two decades of ownership, the club won five English Premier League titles, two UEFA Champions League trophies, and multiple domestic cups, transforming Chelsea into a global powerhouse. His financial backing reshaped European football’s economic landscape, fueling the rise of high-value transfers and modern club management models.
In 2022, Abramovich sold Chelsea for £4.25 billion (€5.69 billion) following U.K. sanctions imposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Since then, he has remained largely outside the public football sphere, focusing on private investments and philanthropic ventures.
After these sanctions, he also came under the spotlight in Türkiye as he loaned a seaside mansion in the Bosphorus in 2022, which was later reportedly bought by Hamdi Ulukaya, the U.S.-based strained yoghurt company Chobani's owner.
While reports claim Abramovich aims to purchase shares and become one of Galatasaray’s largest stakeholders, such a move faces both legal and structural constraints.
Under the current framework, Galatasaray’s publicly traded entity, Galatasaray Sportif A.S., is controlled by the Galatasaray foundation rather than a private company. The club’s ownership model is therefore based on membership rather than corporate shareholding, meaning its assets cannot be sold to individuals or external investors unless the foundation itself decides to do so.
To engage financially, Abramovich would likely need to pursue indirect forms of cooperation—such as sponsorships, infrastructure partnerships, or joint ventures involving the club’s commercial subsidiaries—rather than a direct equity investment.
If realized through permissible channels, Abramovich’s involvement could mark one of the most high-profile foreign engagements in Türkiye’s sports landscape. Galatasaray, which has won the Turkish Super Lig title for the past three consecutive seasons, continues to expand its international brand through sponsorship deals, European competitions, and academy projects abroad.
In the Turkish Super Lig, five clubs have private ownership: Goztepe (acquired by London-based Sport Republic in 2022), Kasimpasa (formerly owned by Ciner Group but recently placed under state control), Samsunspor (owned by Amsterdam-based Amissos Sports), Istanbul Basaksehir (owned by Goksel Gumusdag), and Fatih Karagumruk (owned by Suleyman Hurma).
No official statement has yet been issued by either Abramovich’s representatives or the club.
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