Todd Boehly has moved to bolster his consortium's bid for the ownership of Chelsea by adding billionaire LA Dodgers partner Mark Walters to the bid.
The race to buy Chelsea from sanctioned owner Roman Abramovich is hotting up with the deadline for second bids, originally scheduled for April 11, now moved back to allow the four remaining bidders time to finalise their offers. Todd Boehly is joined in the final stage by consortiums led by Steve Pagliuca and Sir Martin Broughton as well as a bid from the controversial Ricketts family.
Boehly was one of the first names to emerge in the race after Abramovich put the club on the market, initially joining forces with Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss. It now appears he has added extra firepower as each party looks to steal a march on their opponents.
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As per a report from The Athletic, Walter is set to join Boehly's consortium and continue their long-standing partnership. Boehly and Walter are both partners in the Guggenheim project that owns Major League Baseball side the LA Dodgers.
He is not the only bidder to strengthen his hand recently, however. The Ricketts family have reportedly brought Ken Griffin into the fold while Steve Pagliuca has approached former Walt Disney chief Bob Iger for help.
Shortly before being sanctioned by the UK government, Abramovich released a statement officially announcing his decision to sell, writing: "I have always taken decisions with the club’s best interest at heart. In the current situation, I have therefore taken the decision to sell the club, as I believe this is in the best interest of the club, the fans, the employees, as well as the club’s sponsors and partners."
He went on to claim that any proceeds would go to helping those affected by the war in Ukraine. But after being sanctioned by the government for alleged ties to Vladimir Putin, Abramovich will not see any of the money gained from the sale.
