Billionaire financier Todd Boehly has secured support from the US government and Gulf power brokers with ties to the Trump family as he seeks to acquire the international assets of Russian oil giant Lukoil, which were put up for sale after the company was hit by US sanctions last year.

Axar.az reports, citing the Financial Times, two people familiar with the process said Boehly, who sold his stake in Chelsea Football Club last week, had been working on a potential deal for months. His bid aims to challenge US private equity firm Carlyle, which agreed to acquire the assets in January.

Boehly’s consortium includes the US International Development Finance Corporation and Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the UAE’s national security adviser and brother of President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed. The consortium also includes the billionaire Syrian-Qatari Al-Khayyat family, which has worked closely with the White House and members of the Trump family on property and energy projects.

The potential deal comes 10 months after Lukoil agreed to sell its extensive international business to Carlyle following the imposition of US sanctions. The transaction has since stalled in Washington, where it is awaiting final US approval.