A group led by US billionaire Todd Boehly is close to buying Lukoil's overseas assets, including the Neftochim refinery near Burgas. The deal is expected to close within weeks.

On 10 October, BTA reported that the refinery was part of the deal, citing a US government source.

Earlier on this story: Burgas refinery is part of Todd Boehly's deal for Lukoil assets

Besides Boehly, the group includes investors from the UAE and Qatar. Sources close to the talks say he bought frozen Lukoil shares at a steep discount and will swap them for the company's assets.

The assets include oil fields, petrol stations and refineries in Bulgaria, Romania and the Netherlands. They are valued at $22bn.

Boehly is a financier and a former co-owner of Chelsea FC. He also holds stakes in baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers and basketball's Lakers.

Lukoil has been looking for a buyer for its foreign assets since the US sanctioned the Russian company more than a year ago.