Former owner and Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich was forced to sell the Premier League club as part of sanctions for the war in Ukraine.
The sale price of $3.1 billion for the reigning Club World Cup winner and 2021 European champion is the most lucrative ever for a sports team worldwide but Abramovich cannot receive the proceeds, which he hopes will go to a foundation for the victims of the war. A further $2.2 billion has been committed to invest in Chelsea’s teams and stadiums after two months of rapid negotiations to sell the west London club since Russia invaded Ukraine. After several rival bids were rejected, Chelsea said on Saturday that buyout terms were agreed with a consortium that features Boehly along with Dodgers principal owner Mark Walter, Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss and funding from private equity firm Clearlake Capital. The Premier League must approve them as the new ownership and the government has to sign off under the terms of the license that allows Chelsea to continue operating as a business through May 31 while being one of Abramovich’s frozen assets. On Saturday, Chelsea’s prospective new ownership watched Romelu Lukaku score his first English Premier League goals in 2022 before the team collapsed to 2-2 against Wolverhampton, leaving work still to do to wrap up Champions League qualification. • Burnley’s relegation woes deepened after losing to Aston Villa 3-1 in the English Premier League for the team’s first defeat under interim manager Mike Jackson.
