Independiente president Néstor Grindetti has responded forcefully to claims Chelsea want to buy his club, insisting he has no intention of doing such an operation.
LT10 cover comments from the Independiente president today, from an interview with Súper Miter Deportivo, when the subject of a potential takeover from Chelsea was brought up.
Reports last month indicated that the current Chelsea owners could be looking into a deal for the Argentine side, adding them to their growing repertoire of clubs as they look to replicate the City Football Group model around the world.
Those rumours were fuelled by Argentine president Javier Milei, who recently announced planned reforms that would allow outside investment to arrive, before namechecking Chelsea and saying they’re looking into a deal.
It seems Grindetti has no intention of selling his club, though, hitting back somewhat at the claims today with a strong response.
“No, what I want is for Independiente to buy Chelsea,” he said.
“I respond as a football fan. I want Independiente to be great, to have the name it had internationally and for us to play as equals.
“I don’t say that I regret that Chelsea doesn’t buy us, I say that I hope we continue working like this so that one day we buy Chelsea.
“If any club wants to be a Public Limited Company and its members want it, let it be. But those clubs like Independiente, which are statutorily prohibited, must look for mechanisms, trusts, that are some form of financial containment for those monies that want to finance the football, which are financing Brazilian football and Uruguayan football.”
