Abramovich ‘to become Israeli’ to get back into Britain

ROMAN Abramovich was last night reported to be on his way to ‘emigrate’ to Israel.

The owner of Chelsea football club, currently facing difficulties renewing his UK visa, is allegedly ‘taking out citizenship’ there. As his father’s family were Jews, he is entitled to live there and an Israeli passport would restore his access to Britain, which allows in Israelis without a visa.

Numerous media outlets in Israel reported that Mr Abramovich, who is said to be building a ‘huge house’ in Tel-Aviv’s prestigious Neve Tzedek neighbourhood, was on his way to complete the immigration process.

But there was no confirmation of the story from either the Russian tycoon or the authorities in Israel and Moscow.

The oligarch is currently effectively banned from the UK until he can show his fortune is clean, it emerged earlier this week. Mr Abramovich, 51, who missed his club’s FA Cup win last Saturday, is being treated as a ‘new applicant’ for a UK visa after his previous 40-month investor visa lapsed.

He faces having to demonstrate that his money is above board under new Whitehall rules to stamp out ‘dirty money’. He

‘His parents are Jewish’

has held UK visas for many years, but the rules were tightened in 2015, after he obtained his most recent visa.

Worth £ 9.3billion and Britain’s 13th richest man, he bought Chelsea FC in 2003 and was last in the UK in early April. His Tier 1 investor visa has since expired and has so far not been renewed.

He is being recognised by the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia having made donations to Jewish causes in Israel, Russia and around the world totalling more than £360million.

Abramovich, who was born in Lithuania, was orphaned when his Jewish parents Irina and Arkady died before he was four and he was raised by his grandparents.

A spokeswoman at the Israeli Ministry of Aliyah and Integration said it had no information about Mr Abramovich arriving in the country or whether he intended to repatriate there.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said president Vladimir Putin, who is very close to Mr Abramovich, was unaware of any attempt by Mr Abramovich to seek Israeli citizenship, adding: ‘We do not monitor the movements and visits of entrepreneurs.’ Sources close to Mr Abramovich declined to comment.