Roman Abramovich has ruled out selling Chelsea to a consortium of German investors who are considering an audacious takeover bid for the club.

Arab tycoon Dr Sulaiman al Fahim, who fronted Sheikh Mansour's £200million Manchester City takeover, has linked up with the Germans and says his group are mulling over plans to make an offer.

But Abramovich's spokesman John Mann today insisted the Russian billionaire has no intention of selling to Fahim's consortium as he remains fully committed to the club.

Asked if Abramovich still loved Chelsea as much as when he bought it for £140m in the summer of 2003, Mann said: “Yes, he does — nothing has changed.

“I can't get into hypothetical situations as I am not aware of what they (Fahim's group) are doing.
“But nothing has changed from our very strong statement on behalf of Chelsea's owner at the weekend.”

That statement — alongside comments from Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon at a fans' forum — refuted suggestions that Abramovich had any intention of selling up.

He is also expected to underline his long-term commitment to Chelsea when the club's accounts are revealed next month.

Fahim is understood to be working on his takeover proposal along with Falcon Equity — a private equity partnership, which is based in Switzerland.

He is CEO of Abu Dhabi-based Hydra Properties and was part of the Abu Dhabi United Group which bought City. He also chairs Falcon Equity, which is run by Holger Heims, a former managing partner of DVC — Deutsche Venture Capital.

Heims said: “We have looked before at some European clubs to see if the numbers added up, and now we are doing the same with Chelsea. I can't go into more details at this stage.

“I don't believe anything is ever not for sale if you come up with the right price. It's not about trying to buy a football team but about a business.

“You don't make money because 11 guys run around the pitch, you make money because of all the other commercial aspects that go with a football club, particularly real estate and television rights.”

In an interview with Arabian Business magazine, Fahim added: “It's not entirely clear if Chelsea is for sale, but regardless of that, we first need to see if we are in a position to buy it.

“Given that Roman Abramovich has invested more than £500m into the club, it would not be cheap, and with the current credit crunch, nobody wants to be over-exposed on one deal. But through a number of investors, there is money available to put together a deal.”

Liverpool could also be the subject of a Middle Eastern takeover following reports of a possible £500m move by a Kuwaiti family.

Meanwhile, Didier Drogba is expected to return to Chelsea's team against Ipswich tomorrow.

The Ivory Coast star was dumped from the squad after criticising the club's hierarchy earlier this month but assistant manager Ray Wilkins said today: “If training has been anything to go by, he will be included tomorrow.