Profile: The man behind sport’s biggest ever takeover
Alamy
Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital are on the brink of completing a £2.5 billion takeover of Chelsea after the British government signalled its approval
The reigning European and World club champions future had been in doubt after UK and EU sanctions were placed on its outgoing owner Roman Abramovich following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Why it matters: Boehly and Clearlake are the latest major US investors in European football and despite the huge purchase price, clearly see growth potential in the sport.
The perspective: The American private equity moguls will make Chelsea the most expensive sports franchise in the world. But with a further £1.75 billion of infrastructure investment promised and a long-term commitment, where is the investment upside?
25 May 2022 - 3:37 PM
In the final few days before Chelsea’s takeover by a group led by the US financier Todd Boehly was finally confirmed, government officials, bankers, lawyers and consortium members worked around the clock to get the deal over the line. Any acquisition ultimately worth as much as £4.25 billion is bound to be complex, but this deal was especially tortuous.
It was, one unnamed official working on the deal told the Financial Times, “whack a mole”, wi
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