Serena Williams has joined a bid to purchase English soccer club Chelsea, according to Sky News.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion has reportedly committed approximately $13 million to the bid, which is spearheaded by Martin Broughton. Formula One star Lewis Hamilton is also joining the group.
A source close to the group said the addition of the two sports stars was due to their “experience at building global sports brands,” Sky News reported. Williams founded a venture capital firm, Serena Ventures, in 2014. The fund announced an investment this week in OpenSponsorship, a British-based sports marketing platform that helps athletes and companies collaborate.
Williams is also a minority owner of the Miami Dolphins of the NFL and Angel City FC of the NWSL.
Last year, Williams was the second highest-paid female athlete in the world, making $35.5 million, behind Naomi Osaka who took home $55.2 million in earnings off the court. Both ranked among the top 50 highest-paid athletes in the world in 2021.
Three groups remain in the running for the purchase of Chelsea. One group includes Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly, who previously had attempted to purchase a controlling interest the NWSL’s Washington Spirit.
When Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich initially put the club up for sale at the beginning of March, he said that all net proceeds would go toward assisting “all victims of the war in Ukraine.”