World's most expensive house at £390m

From the beaches of Cannes to the hills of Monaco, it is the mystery enthralling the French Riviera this summer: who is the Russian billionaire buying the world's most expensive home?

The sale of La Leopolda, a sumptuous villa on the C6te d'Azur set in eight hectares of immaculately kept land, is set to be finalised in September after months of protracted negotiations.

Its eye-watering price tag, understood to be between £312m-£392m, would smash the record for the greatest amount of money ever paid for a property.

Despite the inevitable publicity surrounding the deal, the identity of the buyer is a closely guarded secret.

Rumours that the owner of Chelsea football club, Roman Abramovich, was adding another home to his property empire were swiftly denied, and the well-heeled inhabitants of Villefranche-sur-Mer, the picturesque coastal village near Nice where the villa is located, are no closer to knowing who their wealthy new neighbour is.

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