CHELSEA’S takeover seems to have taken a turn for the worse as there are now fears that a deal with Todd Boehly could COLLAPSE.
Boehly has been named as the preferred bidder for Chelsea despite a last-gasp £4billion bid from Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
And Boehly’s team were told they had been granted a “period of exclusivity” to discuss the final terms and conditions of a takeover package.
However Russian Oligarch Roman Abramovich is reportedly “attempting to renege on his promise to write off a £1.6 billion debt”.
This is despite the 55-year-old saying he would NOT be asking for any loans to be repaid when he put the club up for sale.
Which could see any future deal between Boehly and the West London outfit fall through.
Or in a worst case scenario, Chelsea could LOSE their Premier League status.
SUN BINGO GET £50 BONUS & 50 FREE SPINS TODAY
Keep up to date with all of the latest gossip from the takeover in our live blog…
Exclusive by SunSport’s Andy Dillon
Todd Boehly’s first job if he gets control of Chelsea will be to head off the threat of a player exodus.
Several senior players are “gutted” defender Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen are leaving on free transfers.
Club captain Cesar Azpilicueta may also still quit despite an automatic extension to his contract.
Meanwhile, N’Golo Kante and Jorginho are about to enter the final year of their deals and could also move on.
Too good to be Tchou
Premier League clubs have been given a boost in the hunt for Aurelien Tchouameni.
That’s because the Monaco star reportedly wants a move to England’s top flight this summer.
Di Marzio claims Tchouameni is ready to snub interest from Spain for a Prem switch.
Chelsea, Man Utd and Arsenal are among those keen on the £60million-rated France midfielder.
Fab a good birthday
Chelsea have wished former star Cesc Fabregas a happy birthday.
The Blues midfielder has turned 35 today and the Blues were on hand to send him some birthday love.
Fabregas joined the Blues in 2014 after a spell with Barcelona, and he went on to score 22 goals and provide 57 assists in 198 appearances across all competitions.
Chelsea delivered stark ownership warning
Chelsea have been warned against keeping Roman Abramovich’s cronies Marina Granovskaia and Bruce Buck at the club.
The stark warning was delivered by Julian Knight, chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee.
He told the Financial Times: “Any continuity with the Abramovich regime at Chelsea is certainly an unsettling development.
“There needs to be clarity surrounding the process to ensure that everything is being done to the letter.”
Cab you Kep up
Chelsea stopper Kepa Arrizabalaga has revealed that Formula One is a hot topic at Cobham.
Kepa’s an avid watcher of the sport and he revealed that he’s joined in regular discussions about the F1 with Timo Werner, Kai Havertz and Mason Mount.
Speaking to Chelsea’s press, he said: “I am a big fan of cycling, F1 and Moto GP, and I also follow basketball. I like Formula 1 and we talk at Cobham every Monday after a race.
“We have a few players who like it, like Timo, Kai and Mason, so we discuss what’s happened in the race and talk about it, which I enjoy.”
Missed the Marc
Another Chelsea star who failed to impress at Real Madrid is Marcos Alonso.
Alonso was born in Madrid and joined La Fabrica as a kid.
He rose through the youth ranks, before he was handed his debut by Manuel Pellegrini in 2010.
But with chances hard to come by, Alonso moved to England – signing for Bolton Wanderers that same year.
He was sold to Fiorentina, also enjoying a loan spell at Sunderland, before later joining the Blues, where he plays to this day.
Ratcliffe still keen on Chelsea
Jim Ratcliffe has no plans on giving up his bid to own Chelsea despite getting knocked by the Raine Group.
A director at a Ratcliffe-owned company said, via BNN Bloomberg: “We’ve been rejected out of hand by Raine, but we will keep reminding people we are still here.
“We will continue to engage with the fanbase,” said Crotty. “We see ourselves as a fan-based bid.”
Didn’t Mata at Real Madrid
Juan Mata is one of the Premier League’s most decorated stars with stints at Man United and Chelsea – but he failed to make the grade with Real Madrid.
Originally a Real Oviedo youth product, Los Blancos pounced on attacking midfielder Mata when he was 15.
He played his way through the youth ranks to the second string, where he scored ten goals in a team that was relegated from the Spanish second division.
Mata had a release clause in the final year of his contract that allowed him to talk to other clubs – and in 2007 he moved to Valencia.
It was at Valencia where Mata made his name, before moving to the Premier League with Chelsea and then on to the Red Devils.
‘Drogba was my idol’
Bolton Wanderers forward Elias Kachunga has revealed that Didier Drogba was his idol growing up.
Kachunga said on Twitter: “Didier Drogba was always my idol when I grew up. The way he played for Chelsea, I always liked to see how he played.”
Kachunga’s revelation will be welcomed by Drogba who was overtaken as the highest-scoring African player by Liverpool ace Sadio Mane.
Lukaku’s Chelsea struggles revealed
Romelu Lukaku admitted to Chelsea’s staff that he couldn’t keep up with Thomas Tuchel’s physical demands earlier this season.
The Belgian reportedly preferred playing under Antonio Conte instead.
He had more freedom in Conte’s free-flowing attack as opposed to Tuchel’s high pressing formation, The Athletic reported, via Absolute Chelsea.
Keep hold of Jorginho
Chelsea have been urged to keep hold of Jorginho at all cost by Glen Johnson.
Johnson said to GGrecon: “I don’t think it’s time for Jorginho to leave Chelsea. He’s possibly not playing as much football as he would like but I still believe he’s a fantastic player and certainly a great squad player.
“If I was Chelsea, I’d extend his contract and make sure you keep him.”
Drogba loses record to Mane
Sadio Mane has become the highest-scoring African player of all time in the Champions League knockout stages.
The Liverpool star scored the third goal as Jurgen Klopp’s men secured a 3-2 away win against Villarreal on Tuesday night.
Mane’s 74th-minute strike saw him move onto 15 goals, overtaking Chelsea legend Didier Droba’s haul of 14.
The Ivorian reached that total in 46 knockout appearances for the Londoners.
Mane has reached 15 in 26 games in the knockout stages.
Hardest decision ever made
Drew Spence says calling time on her Blues career after a 14-year spell is one of the toughest calls she has had to make.
The WSL ace, who is Chelsea’s longest-serving player, tearfully announced she would leave this summer in an emotional video.
Speaking to Chelsea’s website, the midfield ace said: “This is probably one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make.
“It’s like leaving your family.”
The Buck stops here
Chelsea chiefs Marina Granovskaia and Bruce Buck will STAY at Stamford Bridge if Todd Boehly’s bid to buy the club is successful, according to reports.
The Financial Times claim Boehly and Co want director Granovskaia and chairman Buck to remain at the West London giants if they conclude their deal.
The pair have reportedly offered informal terms to continue their roles at the Blues.
The Boehly group hopes the key figures staying will be good for “continuity” during the difficult transition into the new era after 19 years of Abramovich.
The American-led consortium believes Granovskaia and Buck have been key to the club’s recent success, including the 2021 Champions League title.
Juventus plan Chelsea raid
Juventus are planning to raid Chelsea for three players this summer.
The Serie A side have set sights on Jorginho, Christian Pulisic, and Emerson Palmieri.
That’s according to Tutto Sport, via Chelsea specialist Simon Philips.
Pick of the bunch
Jordan Pickford has praised Everton team-mate Richarlison for his contribution against Chelsea.
The Brazilian scored the winning goal against the Blues as Everton secured a much-needed win.
Pickford said: “Richarlison worked hard for 45 minutes against Chelsea and had a couple of chances.
“Then he got his reward with the goal in the 46th minute, because he’d continued working hard.”
Rice in charge
Chelsea will reportedly miss out on Declan Rice this summer.
The England ace is set to snub a move away from West Ham, the Mail reported.
The Hammers plan to reward Rice’s loyalty by naming him the club’s captain.
Coe explains Chelsea bid
Lord Coe has revealed why he joined Sir Martin Broughton’s consortium to buy the club.
He added while speaking to LBC: “I joined Martin’s bid with one simple proposition – I’m a Chelsea fan of more than 50 years.
“I was in the ground in 1967, I was born near the ground and still have a house there.
“For me it was always about the club having the best possible ownership, one that was recognising one very simple fact- that is you don’t really own a club, you’re the stewards of a community sports organisation.
“At this moment the one thing I hope we end up with is a swift set of solutions to this.”
Lord Coe issues Chelsea warning
Lord Sebastien Coe has issued the government a warning about how they’re handling the Chelsea sale.
He told LBC: “As someone who’s been involved in sport, there is a vacuum here if we’re not careful, which is going to impact on the players, it’s certainly going to impact on the coaching.
“To be sitting in a stadium where you’re regularly 10,000 fans down because you can’t sell seats, there is a problem here.
“The rest of the decisions have to be made properly, there is a process and this is a one-off.
“You don’t see clubs being sold in these circumstances so the Government will have to be really clear what it wants out of this.”
Lukaku’s tax payment revealed
Romelu Lukaku became Chelsea’s highest-paid player when he joined the Blues last summer.
But new figures reveal that the Belgium international has to give up half his wages to the taxman.
Lukaku’s wages reportedly work out to be £16.9m annually, but HMRC Tax and Revenue’s department takes £8.14 m out of the hefty amount. according to City AM.
Reece the wheels
Reece James would be a perfect fit in Real Madrid’s squad.
That’s the opinion of former Blues star Glen Johnson who told ggrecon: “He would absolutely be a perfect long-term replacement for Dani Carvajal, but I can’t imagine that Chelsea would let him go and I doubt that Reece would want to leave the club anyway.
“But yes, if Real Madrid could land him then he would be a fantastic long-term replacement.”
Lukakau’s transfer plans revealed
Romelu Lukaku is set to snub transfer offers from Newcastle and AC Milan, according to reports.
Newcastle are one of a few teams who could afford the striker but Lukaku is not keen on the Magpies, report The Evening Standard.
It is also believed he would reject a move to Milan as he does not want to upset Inter fans – having already angered many with his departure from the club last year.
Chelsea loan stars praise
Chelsea ace Levi Colwill has praised the abilities of fellow Blues star Tino Anjorin.
The pair are on loan together at Huddersfield, and Colwill’s grateful to have the powerful Anjorin alongside him.
Speaking after Anjorin’s impact against Coventry recently, Colwill said: “He is something else.
“When he came on he changed the game. His presence is remarkable.
“When he gets on it and turns, no one can stop him with his power. They were trying to foul him but they couldn’t get near him. We need that.
“It has definitely helped to have him around We are good mates. We bonded straight away with each other again.
“It’s good to have another player from Chelsea around me.”
Chelsea line up Rudiger replacement
Chelsea are already lining up out-bound defender Antonio Rudiger’s replacement.
Rudiger is on the verge of joining Real Madrid this summer.
And the Blues have reportedly lined up RB Leipzig ace Josko Gvardiol as the German’s replacement, according to Goal.
Good morning Chelsea fans
Chelsea may be kicked out of the Premier League next season if ongoing takeover talks fall through.
That’s after outgoing owner Roman Abramovich demanded the £1.6billion he loaned to the club be repaid in full as part of the sale.
LA Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly is understood to be the preferred bidder after being selected by US-based company Raine.
But there is a risk of talks folding and any deal being blocked as the Blues are now demanding a change in the process.
Abramovich initially said he did not want his mega-money loan back as part of the takeover.
But the West Londoners now argue that the debt “owed” to him through the club’s parent company Fordstam should be part of the proceeds of sale to Jersey-based Camberley International Investment.
Meanwhile, it emerged that Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his company Ineos are frustrated at being shut out of the Chelsea sale by Raine.
Ratcliffe expected the New York-based company to engage with Sir Jim after he launched his late bid on Friday.
Instead, Abramovich’s representatives have so far refused to even respond to Ineos, leaving him disappointed.
Ineos believe that Raine seem more comfortable at the idea of dealing with a US bidder but feel Chelsea fans should be concerned that Todd Boehly’s bid will be 66 per cent funded by venture capital outfit Clearlake.
And the Blues have received a major transfer boost in their bid to sign Monaco star Aurelien Tchouameni in the summer.
That is because Real Madrid have surrendered their lead having been put off by the Ligue 1 team’s £60million asking price.
According to AS, Real are likely to look elsewhere as Tchouameni has been deemed too pricy.
That is a major development for Chelsea as doubt looms over whether they could meet West Ham’s evaluation for Declan Rice.
Finally, Andreas Christensen has reportedly agreed a five-year contract with Barcelona.
And Christensen could be joined by Chelsea team-mates Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso at the Nou Camp next season.
According to AS, the deal is worth a whopping £21m across the five years, even though the defender will become a free agent in June.
Barca are also set to let go of Clement Lenglet, Samuel Umtiti and Oscar Mingueza at the end of the season.
But the Blaugrana are hoping to add further reinforcements with Azpilicueta and Alonso being targeted.
The pair are under contract at Stamford Bridge until 2023 but both want to move, according to Mundo Deportivo
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
