The president of Argentina has claimed Chelsea are exploring investing in one of the country's teams.
Teams in Argentina had been forced to remain non-profit associations which are largely controlled by members but president Javier Milei recently suggested a bill which would permit teams to become Sociedades Anonimas Deportivas - Public Limited Sports Companies.
The proposal states that teams would have the option to sell shares and could be run by outside investors should they choose to pursue such an approach, and Milei publicly claimed Chelsea's BlueCo ownership group had already reached out about a possible deal.
"There are many investments waiting, there are many international football clubs that want to invest in Argentina," Milei told La Nacion. "There is a lot of business to be done with Argentina. Investments could be worth more than $1bn in a very short period of time.
"As soon as the decree came out, Chelsea were interested in investing in Argentina."
The ruling has not yet been made official and would require approval from the Argentinian FA, whose current rules forbid such investment.
Chelsea's BlueCo ownership group have publicly admitted their desire to build a network of clubs and began that plan with the acquisition of Ligue 1 outfit Strasbourg earlier this year.
South America has been an area of particular interest for Chelsea officials, who have been busy scouting a number of young players from across the continent.
Andrey Santos and Angelo joined during the summer, while the Blues have already agreed to sign Ecuadorian midfielder Kendry Paez in 2025.
Boca Juniors starlet Valentin Barco is of interest to Chelsea, as are Argentina Under-17 World Cup trio Claudio Echeverri, Agustin Ruberto & Ian Subiabre. Over in Brazil, Palmeiras duo Estevao and Luis Guilherme are on Chelsea's radar as well.
