One of the bids vying to become the new owners of Chelsea will get millions of pounds from Lewis Hamilton and Serena Williams.
Sky News can exclusively reveal the full line-up of investors backing the takeover offer for the club being spearheaded by Sir Martin Broughton, the formerLiverpool and British Airways chairman, the most prominent of whom are the seven-time Formula 1 world champion and the former women's world tennis No.
Sources close to the group said that Hamilton and Williams, the highest-profile members of the group, had pledged an estimated 10 million dollars each to the bid.
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Both Hamilton and Williams have become established investors in their own right in recent years.
Opensponsorship, a British-based sports technology start-up, has received an investment from Serena Ventures, the venture capital fund of the tennis star.
Their involvement in the auction is surprising because Hamilton is a fan of the other team.
Both Hamilton and Williams have been in talks with the group.
It was not clear on Thursday which corporate entities would be used to invest in the Blues.
Sebastian Coe is one of the backers of the British-led consortium that is one of the three finalist bids.
A source close to the group said the addition of Hamilton and Williams was a serious investment decision because of their experience at building global sports brands.
They pointed out that the involvement of the pair was not the first time that famous athletes had supported a club in the premier league.
The holding company headed by American private equity billionaires Josh Harris and Dave Blitzer would hold a controlling stake in the club, although they will need to sell their minority stake in Crystal Palace.
Their involvement with the ownership and running of Crystal Palace since 2015 is a distinctive factor among the remaining bidders for the club.
Canada's Rogers family is one of the group's investors, as is John Arnold, who chaired the Houston World Cup bid committee.
Alejandro Santo Domingo, an heir to one of the world's biggest brewing fortunes and an investor in several North American sports franchises, is also investing in the bid.
Sources close to the offer said the diversity of its roster of global investors was one of the factors that persuaded Hamilton and Williams to become involved.
If the bid is successful, it is believed that Hamilton will play a role in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.
He and Williams have been advocates in their respective sports for equality and anti- discrimination.
The issue was thrown into sharp focus when one of the bidders was forced to distance itself from historical Islamophobic remarks.
According to reports, the consortium believes that it is best placed to navigate the complex of owning the club.
Todd Boehly, the part-owner of the LA Dodgers baseball team, and Steve Pagliuca, who owns stakes in the NBA's Boston Celtics and Atalanta, are two of the remaining bidders.
The consortium led by the Ricketts family withdrew its offer last week, with members of the bid unable to agree on the final make up of the deal.
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