London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 24, 2025

Chelsea's £4.25bn takeover completed

Chelsea's £4.25bn takeover completed

Chelsea's £4.25bn sale to a consortium led by American investor Todd Boehly and private equity firm Clearlake Capital has been completed.

The club was put up for sale in March before previous owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned over his links to Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Chelsea had been operating under a special government licence which would have expired on 31 May.

Boehly said that he was "honoured" and "wanted to make fans proud".

The consortium fought off 11 serious rivals to become the new owners, in a sale process that started on 2 March and comprised more than 250 enquiries.

"We are honoured to become the new custodians of Chelsea Football Club," he said.

"We're all in - 100% - every minute of every match. Our vision as owners is clear: we want to make the fans proud.

"Along with our commitment to developing the youth squad and acquiring the best talent, our plan of action is to invest in the club for the long term and build on Chelsea's remarkable history of success.

"I personally want to thank ministers and officials in the British government, and the Premier League, for all their work in making this happen."

The UK government - which said last Wednesday it could issue a licence for the sale of the club - does not want Abramovich to receive any of the proceeds from the sale, which will instead go into a frozen bank account to be donated to charities supporting victims of the war in Ukraine.


Who are Chelsea's new owners?


Several parties expressed an interest, but Chelsea agreed to sell to the Boehly-Clearlake Capital consortium earlier in May, with Californian private equity firm owning a majority of the shares as it makes its first foray into sport.

Boehly, 48, is also a part-owner of seven-time baseball World Series champions the LA Dodgers, US women's basketball team the Los Angeles Sparks and NBA franchise the Los Angeles Lakers.

He has also invested in Bruce Springsteen's song rights, a sports betting firm and restaurant chains.

Other investors include US billionaire Mark Walter, a co-owner of the LA Dodgers with a stake in the Lakers like Boehly, and Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss.


End of an era


Abramovich bought Chelsea for £140m in 2003.

Under his ownership, the club won every major trophy - two Champions Leagues, five Premier Leagues, five FA Cups, two Europa Leagues and three EFL Cups.

In August 2021 they won the Uefa Super Cup and in February their first Club World Cup.

Abramovich has appointed 13 managers and the club has spent more than £2bn in the transfer market under his ownership.

Chelsea's women's team, who became affiliated to Chelsea FC in 2004, have won five Women's Super League titles and four FA Cups under Abramovich.

When an agreement for the sale was reached, he said: "As I hand over Chelsea to its new custodians, I would like to wish them the best of success, both on and off the pitch.

"It has been an honour of a lifetime to be a part of this club - I would like to thank all the club's past and current players, staff, and of course fans for these incredible years."


Chelsea's sale - the key moments


24 February: Russia invades Ukraine

26 February: Abramovich gives "stewardship and care" of club to charitable foundation

2 March: Abramovich says he plans to sell the club

10 March: The UK government sanctions Abramovich

5 May: Abramovich denies he has requested a £1.5bn loan he made to Chelsea is repaid

7 May: Boehly agrees a £4.25bn deal for the club

16 May: Government insider says the deal is close to collapse

24 May: Premier League approves takeover

25 May: Government approves takeover

28 May: Final agreement reached with Boehly-Clearlake Capital consortium

30 May: Sale completed

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
×