Chelsea have become the latest Premier League side to head a multi-club model after a deal was struck for Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital to buy Ligue 1 outfit Strasbourg.
And the US-based owners are now expected to pursue a deal to purchase shares in a Portuguese club after Boehly previously spoke about developing “pathways for our young superstars to get on to the Chelsea pitch.”
Strasbourg will be viewed as a way for Chelsea to blood young players and in some instances enable foreign players to accrue enough points to get through the governing body exemption rules introduced by The FA following the UK’s departure from the European Union.
But in a statement, Blue Co, the parent company, said that it would "preserve the legacy" of Strasbourg and keep the current management team in place amid angry reactions from fans who fear that their club would be a feeder to Chelsea.
“It is an honor for us to be part of this historic club. We are committed to preserving the legacy of Racing and to working closely with Marc and his management team to continue the excellent work they have done. This strategic investment would strengthen our presence in European football, alongside our stake in Chelsea. We believe it would create tremendous opportunities for sharing knowledge and expertise,” the BlueCo press release said.
Club president Marc Keller, who has been in place since 2012 and led negotiations from the French side, is set to remain in his role. Strasbourg were one of many French clubs looking for investment and Keller had confirmed talks with Chelsea in early spring. He had also made a trip to their Cobham training ground last month.
He said: “The arrival of the consortium should enable us to take this step forward. It's a question of putting in place the conditions for a new ambition, moving forward with continuity, building on the foundations that have made us successful.
"I am proud, after eleven years of hard work with all those who have contributed to its success, to enable the club to further its ambition, with responsibility. We're doing it for our fans, for our partners, for our town and our region."
Within four months of taking over at Chelsea, Boehly said the new owners “had talked about having a multi-club model” to “show pathways for our young superstars to get on to the Chelsea pitch while getting them real game time.”
Chelsea stepped up their interest in pursuing a multi-club model after Aleksander Ceferin, the UEFA president, said in March that the governing body was looking at a change to rules that currently bans clubs with the same majority owners from competing in the same competition.
“We’ve had five or six owners of clubs who want to buy another club,” Ceferin told The Overlap in March. “We have to see what to do. The options are that it stays like that or that we allow them to play in the same competition. I’m not sure yet.
“We have to speak about these regulations and see what to do about it. There is more and more interest in this multi-club ownership. We shouldn’t just say no for the investments for multi-club ownership, but we have to see what kind of rules we set in that case, because the rules have to be strict."
Amanda Staveley, the Newcastle United director, has previously placed on record their intention to develop a similar model to Manchester City, who now own 13 clubs across six continents.
Chelsea previously had offers to purchase stakes in Bordeaux and Sochaux rejected while an offer to buy a slice of Portimonense in Portugal has been knocked back. They have also looked at Portuguese side Rio Ave and may look to invest in a South American club having previously made enquiries at Brazilian club Santos.
