Todd Boehly’s takeover of Chelsea F.C. following a deal between Roman Abramovitch and the British government remains to be confirmed. 

The Russian billionaire’s legal team would have found a solution to the issues preventing the takeover from being concluded. Abramovich has previously announced that he does not wish to have the £1.5bn loan repaid to him. 

However, government officials were reportedly worried that the oligarch would perform volte-face in the coming months and call for the money to be repaid.

Nevertheless, Mirror Football believes a deal is inching closer amid worries that Todd Boehly’s takeover would collapse before the club’s operating licence expires on the 31st of May. 

As in the case of other takeovers, the Premier League must give a final sign-off on Todd Boehly’s consortium through its owners and directors test, before the authorities issue a new licence allowing the completion of the sale. The government’s approval for the sale should allow Abramovich’s idea that the sale’s proceeds be donated to charity.

Chelsea’s coach Tomas Tuchel recently complained about the ongoing situation of uncertainty during a meeting with Boehly. „This situation has for sure impacted our form. I don’t think there’s any sense in hiding from the fact that it is a distraction,” he said earlier in May. 

„We’re the only club at the moment who suffers like this, and maybe the first club who ever did this. It’s a situation that’s unique and quite challenging. Of course, everyone wants it to be clarified. These are steps in the right direction. We’ve been waiting for it for a long time because we need positive energy and a competitive atmosphere as a club. That’s why it’s very important that things progress,” the German coach emphasised. 

Image: Twitter (@brfootball)

Author: Sébastien Meuwissen