Roman Abramovich is begging his Hollywood and Wall Street friends for millions to keep his business empire afloat, it has been claimed.
The Chelsea Football Club owner, whose assets were frozen worldwide due to his links to Vladimir Putin, is said to be asking as much as £765,000 in loans from his network of rich associates.
It is rumoured he can no longer afford to pay his staff, who allegedly cost him £600,000 a week.
Hollywood director Brett Ratner, famous for the Rush Hour trilogy, is believed to be one of his pals being asked for money.
The Russian billionaire is also said to have approached the Rothschild family.
A source told Page Six: ‘Roman is asking some of his closest powerful friends to let him borrow $1 million.
‘He is saying he has never missed payroll for his staff, which is $750,000 a week, and with his assets frozen, he can’t pay his people.
‘He has reached out to Hollywood producer and director Brett Ratner and the Rothschild family, among many others, for money, but – while they are good friends with Roman – they have not agreed to give him money, because either they do not have that in liquid cash, or moreover it is not clear what are the repercussions under international law.’
In Britain, the oligarch and his family have amassed a property collection worth more than £250 million, alongside Chelsea, which is currently being sold off.
His current net worth is estimated to be around £10.7 billion, according to Forbes.
Aside from his financial troubles, Mr Abramovich has recently been the subject of much speculation after he and two Ukrainian officials were allegedly poisoned during peace talks with Russia.
He developed peeling skin on his hands and face, as well as ‘piercing pain’ and red eyes, after landing in Kyiv for negotiations on March 3.
The poisoning was said to be a ‘warning’ not to betray Putin, and he later attended further peace talks in Turkey, where he was reportedly acting as an unofficial go-between for Russia.
Metro.co.uk has contacted Mr Abramovich for a comment through Chelsea.
