Chelsea Football Club are on the verge of changing hands after nearly 15 years under the ownership of Roman Abramovich. Today, the Premier League gave the takeover deal put forward by Todd Boehly and the Clearlake consortium the go ahead from their point of view.
That news will be welcomed by Chelsea fans, as the deal for the takeover has brought considerable uncertainty to the club. The sanctions imposed by the British Government have paralyzed their ability to do deals with players and only a change of ownership can lift them. Today, they are one step closer to that reality.
“The Premier League Board has today approved the proposed takeover of Chelsea Football Club by the Todd Boehly / Clearlake Consortium,” asserted the Premier League’s official statement.
Roman Abramovich put the club up for sale amid sanctions from the British government.
There is still one key obstacle standing in the way however, as the statement noted in a report by The Independent.
“The purchase remains subject to the government issuing the required sale licence and the satisfactory completion of the final stages of the transaction.”
The Russian billionaire Abramovich is under sanctions due to his links to President Vladimir Putin, following his decision to invade Ukraine.
How Boehly and the consortium intend to run the club remains to be seen. The Premier League have come under criticism for their screening process of owners, which has rarely found any issues. In this case however, Chelsea fans will likely just be glad that a deal is happening given the uncertainty under Abramovich.
