A group of investors led by Los Angeles Lakers basketball co-owner and Los Angeles Dodgers baseball club Todd Boehly will buy Chelsea football from Roman Abramovich for 4.25 billion pounds (more than 122 billion crowns).
The reigning Champions League winner announces a sale deal for his net. The entire amount will go into the frozen accounts of the Russian oligarchs in British banks and then transferred to charities.
The transaction has not yet been approved by the British football authorities and the UK government. The shop should close at the end of May.
Abramovich’s era at Chelsea ended after 19 years. In 2003, a Russian billionaire allegedly bought the London club for £140 million. Under his leadership, Chelsea had the most successful period in history, winning five titles, winning the Champions League twice and winning the English Cup five times. The Czech goalkeeper, who now works as a consultant, helped four league titles and one win in the Champions League.
Immediately after the Russian military offensive in Ukraine in late February, Abramovich, after being called upon to relinquish control of the club, entrusted Chelsea to the club’s charitable board. However, the club did not escape sanctions when the British government froze the assets of several Russian oligarchs, including Abramovich, in March.
The third team from the English league table is not allowed to sell or buy players, cannot renew contracts and has suspended ticket sales for home fans.
According to Forbes magazine, the property of potential co-owner Chelsea Boehly amounts to 4.5 billion dollars (105 billion krona). In addition to the Dodgers and Lakers, the 46-year-old American entrepreneur has a stake in the Los Angeles Sparks women’s basketball team. He tried to buy Chelsea in 2019 for three billion dollars, but at that time he did not bid Abramovich.
Members of the consortium are also American PR manager Barbara Charone, British businessman Jonathan Goldstein and British journalist Daniel Finkelstein.
Another group of investors also applied to Chelsea. Among those interested were the owner of the Chicago Cubs baseball club, former head of British Airways Martin Broughton and former famous runner and later politician and current head of World Athletics Sebastian Coe. The offer was also made by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, owner of the chemical company Ineos and the bicycle cage of the same name, but came too late.
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