Trivago have appeared to prematurely announce that Chelsea's takeover by a group spearheaded by American billionaire Todd Boehly has been completed in a message posted on social media.
"Welcome to the @ChelseaFC family, Todd Boehly! #LetsGo," the travel company's message read. But the Twitter post, published at exactly 11am, is understood to have been a scheduling error rather than an unusual approach to breaking the news of the most expensive sports club sale in history.
The takeover is not yet completed and yesterday government officials said that they remain concerned about a deal being signed before the May 31 deadline. A senior source accused Roman Abramovich of putting the club's future in doubt over demands around where the proceeds go. That is thought to be an exaggeration and an announcement could arrive later this week.
The government is demanding that the £2.6bn fee agreed between Abramovich's team and the Boehly group at the beginning of the month is placed in a holding account until it is guaranteed it can go to a foundation to help victims of the war in Ukraine, as promised by the Russian more than two months ago.
But Westminster officials say that the 55-year-old, who was sanctioned on March 10 because the government said that it had proof he has long held close links to Russia president Vladimir Putin, wants the £1.6bn he has loaned the club since buying it in 2003 sent to a company registered in Jersey called Camberley International Investments.
There are questions around the ownership of the Jersey-based company and officials at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport say that they are not satisfied by the answers they have received from the club and Abramovich's representatives. Last week the Charity Commission said that no application had been made to register a foundation.
However that stance is vehemently disputed by Abramovich's camp, who say Chelsea were the ones to have suggested a holding account in the first place.
Trivago have been one of Chelsea's principal partners since May 2021 and were one of few sponsors to back the club when the news of Abramovich's sanctioning broke. The mobile network Three, who were the club's primary sponsor, asked to pause their deal which saw its logo appear on the front of shirts and are now expected to be replaced.
