Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has opened up about the £1.5bn loan he gave the club and has denied he wants it to be paid back.
The Blues were put up for sale following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Abramovich subsequently had sanctions placed upon him by the UK government, meaning the Stamford Bridge outfit are having to operate under a special licence and are unable to process any financial transactions.
Reports had claimed Abramovich is looking to recoup a loan he gave the club although he has now insisted this is not the case. It comes as Blues fans call for the Government to ensure the sale of the club is completed "swiftly".
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Abramovich denies loan claims
Abramovich has not asked for a £1.5bn loan to be repaid and has not increased his asking price for Chelsea in the last week, the Russian has insisted.
Reports emerged on Friday that Abramovich had asked for a loan to be repaid as part of the club's sale, but these have now been rebuffed as "entirely false". Abramovich has already announced his plan to donate the proceeds of the club's sale to humanitarian organizations and has now said he "remains committed to finding a good custodian for Chelsea FC and making sure the proceeds go to good causes".
Fans call for 'swift' sale
The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust has called for the club's sale to be "completed swiftly and transparently".
Fears have grown among supporters over the sale of the club in recent days, with Todd Boehly's consortium the preferred bidder selected by Raine Group, the bank handling the sale.
The Boehly consortium is in exclusive negotiations over the club's purchase, although this is thought to expire on Friday. And CST now say that "any delay to this process could risk the future of Chelsea FC".
Merson's Lukaku warning
Arsenal legend Paul Merson says Chelsea "haven't got much choice but to keep going" with Romelu Lukaku.
The Belgium international returned to Stamford Bridge last summer in a club-record £97.5million deal as he moved from Inter Milan. But things have not quite worked out for the forward, who has just five goals in 23 Premier League appearances for Thomas Tuchel's side.
Reports have suggested he could move on this summer leaving the Blues ro seek an alternative option up front – although Merson believes this won't happen. The pundit claims that with the club's sale yet to go through, new owners would not be happy at the club selling him for "half" of what they bought him for and has backed Lukaku to stay at the club and "kick on next season".
