Todd Boehly was spotted sitting in the Chelsea directors' box during the Premier League fixture against Wolves but there also appeared to be an unexpected visit from a member of the Saudi Media Group who were also involved in the early stages of the takeover process.
After a very elongated process to find Roman Abramovich's successor, LA Dodgers co-owner Boehly's consortium beat his other competitors and have reached an agreement to acquire the club from Roman Abramovich. However, the proposed deal must now be approved by the UK government and the Premier League before it can be completed.
The statement to confirm the move read: "Chelsea Football Club can confirm that terms have been agreed for a new ownership group, led by Todd Boehly, Clearlake Capital, Mark Walter and Hansjoerg Wyss, to acquire the Club. Of the total investment being made, £2.5bn will be applied to purchase the shares in the Club and such proceeds will be deposited into a frozen UK bank account with the intention to donate 100% to charitable causes as confirmed by Roman Abramovich. UK Government approval will be required for the proceeds to be transferred from the frozen UK bank account.
"In addition, the proposed new owners will commit £1.75bn in further investment for the benefit of the Club. This includes investments in Stamford Bridge, the Academy, the Women’s Team and Kingsmeadow and continued funding for the Chelsea Foundation. The sale is expected to complete in late May subject to all necessary regulatory approvals. More details will be provided at that time."
Whilst there is still some business to sort off the pitch, Boehly himself wanted to get more used to the Stamford Bridge, climate having recently been present at the Real Madrid home Champions League clash.
He was pictured sitting in the Chelsea directors' box looking rather calm and composed. It is expected that the new elected owner will be attending all the remaining fixtures this season including the upcoming FA Cup final, so we will certainly see a lot more of his face in the forthcoming weeks. What wasn't expected though was Saudi Media's presence at Stamford Bridge.
The group run and co-led by Khalid Al Khudair put in a strong and competitive offer but didn't make Raine's top three preferred bidders. Al Khudair himself hasn't let this disappointment affect his loyalty to a club he supports.
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