If Roman Abramovich wants his money back, then all bets are off for Chelsea.
Because Abramovich demanding that his £1.6billion loan is repaid makes it virtually impossible for the UK government to green-light the sale of the club. Prime Minister Boris Johnson himself went public insisting the Russian billionaire must not receive a penny of the proceeds. But there are now fears that Abramovich will go back on his promise to write off the money he has loaned Chelsea, throwing the whole process into chaos.
That is a huge problem for the club just when it looked like LA Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly's consortium was about to buy the Blues. Boehly was selected as the preferred bidder by US merchant bankers the Raine Group, who are in charge of the complex sale. His group are now in a five-day period of exclusive talks to get the deal done - but the issue of Abramovich's loan is a massive potential sticking point.
