Ex-Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia to return to football as Roman Abramovich eyeing Spartak Moscow

Former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is being strongly linked with buying Spartak Moscow, with the aim of transforming them into a European giants.

According to reports in Russia, Lukoil, the owners of Spartak, are looking to sell the club to Evraz, a company owned by Roman Abramovich.

Abramovich was forced to sell Chelsea after the government froze his assets over alleged links to the Kremlin and Russian president Vladimir Putin following the invasion of Ukraine.

Ever since, the oligarch has been linked with buying clubs across Europe.

Earlier in the summer, he was linked with Turkish and later Portuguese sides, although Abramovich has not yet bought any club after the sale of Chelsea to the Todd Boehly consortium.

The Russian was the financial power behind the success at Chelsea and his love for football is well documented. The sale of the Blues is said to have affected him badly.

The departure of Marina Granovskaia from Chelsea also means that she is currently without a job and is free to lead the next football project that Abramovich decides to pursue.

She was one of the main brains behind the Blues’ recent success, and her knowledge of the game and the contacts that she has built up is unrivalled.

According to a report on Russian website sovsport.ru, Abramovich will re-assembly his team that managed Chelsea so well during his time as owner of the club, and this could be at Spartak .

The Russian league has been dominated by Zenit but if Abramovich gets his way then Spartak will be one of the teams to beat not just in Russia but throughout Europe.