The Premier League approved on Tuesday the purchase of Chelsea by the consortium led by American billionaire Todd Boehly. Now the operation is pending the definitive OK of the British government, although, as revealed by the BBC, “major obstacles” have arisen.
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As long as this final agreement does not take place, the British government could extend the special license to Chelsea, since for now it acts with restrictions due to the sanctions imposed on the still owner of the club, Roman Abramovich, after the invasion of Ukraine for his links with Vladimir Putin.
Right now Chelsea operates with a special license that expires on May 31 and that allows you to carry out certain operations, such as receiving money for television rights and selling tickets for certain matches, but you will need a special extension to be able to complete the purchase process for part of Boehly, owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team.
Boehley and his consortium pass the test
As explained by the Premier League in a statement, Boehly and his consortium have passed the test of owners and presidents. Chelsea will now continue to work with the country’s authorities to ensure that the transaction can be completed.
In addition to Boehly, the investment company Clearlake Capital, the American millionaire Mark Walter, also a co-owner of the Dodgers, and the Swiss tycoon Hansjörg Wyss are involved in the consortium.
Once the Government gives the go-ahead and the operation is completed, Chelsea will be able to operate as normal. This will mean that the club store will reopen, players will be able to buy, sell and renew, as well as sell tickets for all matches, be they Premier, FA Cup or Champions League.
Boehly’s group will pay around 4.25 billion pounds (4.97 billion euros) to take over Chelsea, which since 2003 has been in the hands of Abramovich. The Russian oligarch was forced to put the club up for sale due to the sanctions that weigh on him when Russia began the invasion of Ukraine.
The OK depends on Portugal
Meanwhile, the Portuguese government admitted today that it maintains contacts with London on the sale of Chelsea and warned that the operation requires the authorization of Portugal because Abramovich has the nationality of this country.