LONDON (AP) — Chelsea will be sold to a consortium headed by American sports investor Todd Boehly, ending 19 years of ownership and massive investments by Roman Abramovich, before the Russian oligarch was sanctioned and forced to divest. of the Premier League club.
The sale price of 2.5 billion pounds ($3.1 billion) is the most lucrative for a sports team in the world, but Abramovich will not be able to receive the proceeds, which he hopes will go to a foundation for war victims. in Ukraine. A further £1.75bn ($2.2bn) has been pledged to invest in the reigning FIFA Club World Cup champions.
Chelsea said on Saturday that terms for the purchase of the west London club had been agreed with a consortium that also includes Mark Walter, who is also part of the Dodgers group, Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss and funds from the firm. private equity firm Clearlake Capital.
The Premier must approve them as the new owners and the government must approve the sale under the terms of the license that allows Chelsea to continue operating as a business until May 31, as long as it is one of Abramovich’s frozen assets.
Abramovich has said he would write off loans of more than 1.5 billion pounds ($1.9 billion) to Chelsea, but that has been complicated by sanctions imposed by the British government as part of a crackdown on wealthy Russians with links to the president. Vladimir Putin after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February.
Chelsea still expects the sale to be completed by the end of May.
“Proceeds will be deposited into a frozen UK bank account, with the intention of donating 100% to charitable causes, as confirmed by Roman Abramovich,” Chelsea said in a statement.
Chelsea have won 21 trophies in the 19 years since they were acquired by Abramovich, building on a huge investment to become one of the most successful teams in Europe.
