Why does Roman Abramovich want to sell Chelsea football club? 1769455399NinL3oiL
Abramovich hired Swiss bank UBS in 2003 to give him the rundown of the economics of English top-flight football.
Abramovich's representatives spoke at length with executives from leading Premier League clubs - and Arsenal was one of them.
The mega-rich Russian was interested in buying them 16 years ago - although he was not to by Swiss bankers.
UBS' findings were that "Arsenal were categorically not for sale" - according to stunning claims in a new book, The Club, written by two Wall Street Journal writers.
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However, Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein allegedly believed the club's owners would have sold up had an offer been on the table.
Abramovich went on to buy Chelsea for £140million where he set about bringing the best players on the planet to Stamford Bridge.
Although, according to claims in the book, there was one big name he didn't get across the line.
Abramovich tried several times to try get Thierry Henry to Stamford Bridge but he failed in his transfer bids.
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Staying in North London and it was a different story for Arsenal's arch rivals Tottenham.
The books claims Abramovich met with Tottenham's chairman as he looked to buy into the Premier League.
However, while sitting in his Mercedes on Tottenham High Road, Abramovich is said to have and said in Russian 'this is worse than Omsk'.
Abramovich had a refinery in southwestern Siberia, which is home to one of the largest industrial centres in Russia.