Chelsea owner Todd Boehly in talks to SELL stake in Premier League club just days before season kicks off

Chelsea owner Todd Boehly in talks to SELL stake in Premier League club just days before season kicks off

Chelsea owners Todd Boehly and Mark Walter are in talks to sell their shareholdings in the Premier League giants, according to a new bombshell report. A successful transaction could bring an end to rumoured persistent friction within the ownership consortium that purchased the west London club for £2.5billion in 2022. The American financiers co-own Chelsea Football Club alongside Clearlake Capital since Roman Abramovich's forced departure after sanctions were imposed on the Russian oligarch in the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. However, those briefed on the situation cautioned that reaching a final agreement remains uncertain. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say Despite Clearlake holding a 61.5 per cent majority stake in the Stamford Bridge outfit, the firm shares equal governance and joint control of the club with Mr Boehly, who serves as chairman. This arrangement has been a source of repeated strategic disagreements between the two camps since the consortium completed its takeover four years ago. Discussions between the parties about a potential resolution are said to have taken place intermittently over several years, though they have previously failed to produce an outcome. The renewed talks represent the latest attempt to settle the power struggle, but no deal has been reached, according to the Financial Times. Mr Walter has also been shedding other marquee assets. Just last week, he struck a $12.5billion (£9.22 billion) deal to sell the Los Angeles Lakers to former Disney chief executive Bob Iger and venture capitalist Joshua Kushner, barely a year after acquiring the NBA franchise. Since the American-led consortium assumed control, Chelsea have lavished more than £2billion on player recruitment, more than any other Premier League side. The club bypassed Financial Fair Play (FFP) limits by signing young players to unprecedentedly long contracts, often 7 to 8 years, allowing them to spread the transfer fee costs across many seaso