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      LA Lakers owner Todd Boehly ‘is interested in buying Chelsea but put off by Roman Abramovich’s £3billion price tag’

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      AMERICAN billionaire businessman Todd Boehly is interested in buying Chelsea, according to sources.After almost 19 years as Blues owner, Roman Abramovich has put the club up for sale.
      Todd Boehly believes the price tag is too large and Stamford Bridge reduces the ‘overall package’Credit: Getty
      LeBron James is the star player of Boehly’s NBA team LA LakersCredit: EPA
      Boehly, 46, is part-owner of the LA Lakers and LA Dodgers and previously tried to buy the West London club in 2019.
      US outlet CBS Sports Golazo report that he is ‘interested’ in purchasing the Champions League winners but is playing hardball with the price.
      Football journalist Ben Jacobs tweeted: “Sources close to Todd Boehly tell me he’s interested in Chelsea but not for a 3bn asking price.
      “Boehly’s 2019 offer was closer to 2bn.
      “The American doesn’t feel Abramovich’s valuation matches reality and believes Stamford Bridge – an older, less adaptable stadium – reduces the overall package.
      “Boehly seems more inclined to find investment partners than bid outright.
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      “There is substance in a joint-bid with Hansjorg Wyss. But Wyss has also raised concerns about the asking price, even if Abramovich writes off his £1.5b loan.”
      First team boss Thomas Tuchel says that Abramovich is making the ‘right decision’ and insists the Russian’s exit won’t affect his squad.
      Stamford Bridge remains a sticking point with the cost for Boehly, who believes it reduces the ‘overall package’.
      The stadium was last renovated in 1998 and Abramovich, 55, spent millions on plans for a huge rebuild, which would have seen the club forced to move out for up to five seasons.
      He pulled the plug in 2018, when angered by the knowledge his UK Tier 1 ‘golden visa’ would not be renewed.
      The development was expected to cost up to £1.7bn. Now it would be well north of £2bn.
      Boehly, far right, is also part-owner of US baseball team LA DodgersCredit: Rex
      Who is Todd Boehly?
      Boehly is the current chairman and CEO of Eldridge Industries – a private investment firm based on the East Coast.
      He has German roots, as his grandparents emigrated to America.
      At school he was on the wrestling team which won state tournament titles in 1990 and 1991.
      So key was Boehly’s role on the team, the school named their facilities after him – calling it the Boehly Family Wrestling Room.
      He already very well invested in sport, in particular, in Los Angeles.
      He owns the LA Lakers and LA Dodgers, as well as the successful WNBA side LA Sparks.
      Despite being incredibly busy, Boehly has plenty of time for charity work.
      He is on the board of Faces – Finding a Cure for Epilepsy and Seizures – and the Brunswick School, a private school in Connecticut.
      Boehly is also involved with helping the Prostate Cancer Foundation, as well as the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption – the only non-profit charity in North America dedicated to finding permanent homes for children in foster care. More

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      in Soccer

      Abramovich leaves Chelsea after staggering trophy record but his real legacy will be the Cobham Academy talent factory

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      SO farewell  – soon – Roman Abramovich.The man who transformed the face of English football.
      Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea for £140million in 2003Credit: AFP
      Abramovich pictured at Chelsea’s Cobham training baseCredit: Getty
      After nearly two decades the Russian has signalled his desire to sell his Chelsea stake.
      Many Blues fans are in despair, with rival supporters celebrating.
      What is certain is that, just like the consequences of Abramovich’s arrival in 2003, things will never be the same again.
      The ascent of the Abramovich era began the break up the two club duopoly that had dominated and monopolized the Premier League.
      More critically, it also encouraged others to think they could do the same.
      It is hard to believe Manchester City would now be under Abu Dhabi ownership or Newcastle under Saudi control had Abramovich not been the first to challenge the rule of Manchester United and Arsenal.
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      But it is the stand out part of Abramovich’s ‘for sale’ statement that actually signposts the real change that faces Chelsea.
      In announcing he would not demand the return of £1.5 billion he has a lent the club over the last 19 years the Russian has underlined just how dependent the club has been upon his stewardship and deep pockets.
      Fans of all clubs want to see their owners among the big spenders, if not the biggest spenders of all.
      For nearly 20 years Chelsea have fulfilled those dreams and ambitions with a staggering trophy count to justify the expenditure.
      Chelsea have won 21 trophies during Abramovich’s tensure as ownerCredit: Getty
      But it is hard to imagine the next Blues owner will have the same approach, the same readiness to, in the final analysis say ‘ok then’.
      The obvious legacy of the Abramovich era will be that trophy count and those memories.
      Of the ‘Special One’ upsetting the establishment and making himself king of the castle.
      Of John Terry and Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack and Didier Drogba, Petr Cech and Ashley Cole, Eden Hazard and Diego Costa, Munich and Porto.
      Glory days. Glory nights.
      But perhaps the real legacy, the one that will live on, has been constructed next to a railway line in deepest Surrey, 20 miles down the A3 from Stamford Bridge.
      Chelsea’s Cobham Academy is a real life football factory.
      A place where dreams are fired and talent is honed.
      Abramovich overseeing a training session at Cobham under former boss Andre Villas-BoasCredit: Getty – Contributor
      For most of the past decade Chelsea have used it it to fund their spending, building players good enough to earn millions in the transfer market even if they are not deemed quite good enough to wear that blue shirt.
      Yet if, as seems likely, the next Blues owner is not as willing as to dip into his own pockets that academy suddenly becomes far more important.
      In the last two seasons Chelsea have let Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori leave.
      They want to spend whatever it takes to get Declan Rice back so that he can be again in harness with long-standing pal Mason Mount.
      But if the club can no longer spend big, then harvesting that in-house crop and insuring they develop into world stars in a Chelsea shirt will become all the more important.
      If Chelsea lose some ‘new’ fans – the ones who come once-a-season to spend in the Megastore and who’s real club allegiance maybe more transient – the older, ‘legacy’ supporters will not mourn.
      They were there before Abramovich. The start of the trophy haul kick-started by the arrivals of Ruud Gullit, Gianluca Vialli and Gianfranco Zola.
      Many were there for the Division Two days when the heroes were Kerry Dixon and David Speedie. Some remember Geoff Hurst and Danny Blanchflower, John Neal and others.
      That Chelsea is long gone, too. It’s always, always, about the future.
      Not the future the Chelsea fans had been envisaging 10 days ago. But still a future.
      Illustration by Lovatto. More

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      in Soccer

      ‘Take this down ASAP’ – John Terry blasted over post praising Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich by MP

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      JOHN TERRY has been blasted by Labour MP Chris Bryant for his social media post praising Roman Abramovich. Billionaire Russian oligarch Abramovich has put Chelsea up for sale as a consequence of his nation invading neighbouring Ukraine.
      Terry has been slammed by a Labour MP for his praise of AbramovichCredit: Getty – Contributor
      And Terry was quick to express his thanks to Abramovich after a trophy-laden 19-years as owner of the club.
      The 41-year-old posted on social media: “Thank you Roman. The Best Owner in the WORLD.”
      Mr Bryant though condemned Terry for ‘celebrating’ Abramovich’s tenure, as Government sanctions threatened his fortune and resulting in him looking to offload the club.
      Innocent Ukrainian civilians are losing their lives due to Russia’s aggression.
      And Mr Bryant wrote on Twitter: “I think @JohnTerry26 you should take this down ASAP. The people of Ukraine are being bombed, shelled and murdered while you celebrate Abramovich.”
      In a separate tweet Mr Bryant wrote: “This is appalling,” in response to Terry’s message of thanks to Abramovich.
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      And Mr Bryant continued his criticism of the former Chelsea skipper in Parliament.
      Mr Bryant said: “I do not know if you’ve seen this but he [John Terry] has posted a photo with Abramovich who is one of Putin’s crony’s.
      “What will the people of Ukraine think of the former England football captain?”
      Over 2000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine as a result of Putin’s illegal invasion, now into its eighth day.
      Abramovich vowed to give any profits from a possible £3billion deal to the victims of the Ukraine war — but he refused to condemn the actions of tyrant crony Vladimir Putin.
      Abramovich also revealed he would be writing off the £1.5billion debt Chelsea owed him.
      SunSport exclusively revealed last night that Brit billionaire Jim Ratcliffe is one of three parties interested in becoming new owners of the club. More

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      in Soccer

      ‘There are worse owners that are English’ – Neville defends Roman Abramovich’s Chelsea reign as he puts club up for sale

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      GARY NEVILLE took aim at English football club owners whilst praising Roman Abramovich after he announced he’s selling Chelsea.Abramovich, 55, put the club he’s owned for nearly two decades up for sale amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
      Gary Neville has defended Abramovich’s record as Chelsea owner after the Russian decided to sell the club
      Neville also claimed that Abramovich is a better owner than many of his English counterpartsCredit: Getty
      The Russian is one of several oligarchs facing sanctions by the English government following the Kremlin’s Ukrainian siege.
      To avoid falling foul of any monetary and travel restrictions, Abramovich has decided to sell Chelsea for £3billion.
      And he has already had some interested buyers – most notably UFC icon Conor McGregor – who revealed he wants to throw his name in the hat.
      Upon hearing the news of Abramovich’s decision to flog the Blues, Neville defended the Russian’s record as Chelsea owner.
      In the eyes of the former Manchester United defender, Abramovich has run Chelsea better than many English owners of clubs in the country.
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      Speaking to Sky Sports, reported by the Daily Express, Neville explained: “The reality of it is, Chelsea will be OK.
      “Irrespective of whether you like the idea of Russian money coming into English football or not, Roman Abramovich has been a very good owner for Chelsea Football Club.
      “There are worse owners that are English.”
      Ex-Chelsea defender John Terry mirrored Neville’s view by hailing Abramovich as the ‘the best owner in the world’.
      Neville’s support for Abramovich comes as a surprise after he called the Russian a ‘coward’ for relinquishing control of Chelsea to trustees at the club.
      Neville claimed that Abramovich’s move was just a ploy as he’ll still be running Chelsea along with performance advisor Petr Cech and transfer supremo Marina Granovskaia.
      Although Neville, who co-owns Salford FC, didn’t explicitly name which English owners he was speaking about – he did previously slam Newcastle’s former Brit chief Mike Ashley for removing the magic from St.James’ Park when he took over.
      But Ashley recently sold the club to Amanda Staveley and her Saudi-backed consortium.
      Over the years, Neville’s also been critical of his former team Man United’s American owners The Glazers – and has called for them to sell the club on several occasions.
      His latest gripe with The Glazer family came after they concocted a plan to join the European Super League with eight other European giants including Arsenal, AC Milan, Chelsea, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham.
      However, the plot was foiled amid overwhelming backlash from the football community worldwide. More

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      in Soccer

      Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich CONFIRMS he is selling club – with Russian to give net proceeds to Ukraine war victims

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      BILLONAIRE Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has revealed he is selling the club.The Russian oligarch says he will donate the net proceeds to “all victims of the war in Ukraine” – but failed to condemn Putin’s brutal invasion.
      Roman Abramovich has confirmed he is selling ChelseaCredit: Alamy
      It comes as European Parliament president Roberta Metsola insisted anyone with ties to Putin should not be in control of sports clubs.
      The government have yet to order sanctions against Abramovich, who is said to be close to Vladimir Putin.
      In the wake of Russia’s invasion, he initially handed over control of Chelsea to the club’s charitable foundation.
      But the 55-year-old’s concern about potential seizing of assets is said to have sparked his move to off-load the Blues.
      Abramovich himself has denied he has close links to the Russian despot.
      Earlier this week the Russian-Israeli was reportedly assisting peace talks in Belarus assisting peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
      He said in a statement: “I would like to address the speculation in media over the past few days in relation to my ownership of Chelsea FC.
      “As I have stated before, I have always taken decisions with the Club’s best interest at heart.
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      “In the current situation, I have therefore taken the decision to sell the Club, as I believe this is in the best interest of the Club, the fans, the employees, as well as the Club’s sponsors and partners.
      “The sale of the Club will not be fast-tracked but will follow due process. I will not be asking for any loans to be repaid. This has never been about business nor money for me, but about pure passion for the game and Club.”
      The Russian says his team will set up a charitable foundation, with all proceeds of the sale will be donated.
      He said: “All money raised will benefit all victims of the war in Ukraine.
      “This includes providing critical funds towards the urgent and immediate needs of victims, as well as supporting the long-term work of recovery.”Please know that this has been an incredibly difficult decision to make, and it pains me to part with the Club in this manner. However, I do believe this is in the best interest of the Club.”I hope that I will be able to visit Stamford Bridge one last time to say goodbye to all of you in person.
      “It has been a privilege of a lifetime to be part of Chelsea FC and I am proud of all our joint achievements.
      “Chelsea Football Club and its supporters will always be in my heart.Thank you, Roman.”

      It comes after Abramovich handed over stewardship of Chelsea to its charitable foundation at the weekend.
      MP Chris Bryant claims Abramovich is desperately trying to sell his London mansion amid fears Putin’s cronies will be hit by tough sanctions.
      He said: “I think is terrified of being sanctioned, which is why he’s already going to sell his home tomorrow, and sell another flat as well.” More

    • 238 Shares169 Views

      in Soccer

      Conor McGregor sensationally claims he is open to buying Chelsea as Roman Abramovich tries to sell club for £3billion

      by

      UFC megastar Conor McGregor has sensationally claimed he is OPEN to buying Chelsea.The European champions’ Russian owner Roman Abramovich is looking to sell the club for in excess of £3BILLION.
      Abramovich is looking to sell Chelsea for £3BnCredit: ALAMY
      McGregor has expressed his desire of buying ChelseaCredit: GETTY
      And Abramovich is prepared to do a deal within DAYS if he gets the offer he wants with the threat of UK Government sanctions hanging over his head in the wake of Russia’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.
      UFC star McGregor, 33, has hinted he’d be open to discussing it and let Chelsea know.
      He said on Twitter: “I wish to explore this. @ChelseaFC.”
      It’s not the first time the Manchester United fan has expressed his interest of owning a sports team.
      McGregor had previously spoken with Celtic’s largest individual shareholder Dermot Desmond about acquiring shares.
      He has also expressed his interest in owning Man Utd.
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      McGregor has an estimated fortune of £180m but it could be considerably higher after he sold a majority stake in his Proper Twelve whiskey company, worth around £423m at the time.
      Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss is also interested in buying the West London club and claims he has been approached by Abramovich.
      Wyss, 86, told Blick newspaper: “Abramovich is one of Vladimir Putin’s closest advisers and friends.
      “Like all other oligarchs, he is also in a panic.
      “Abramovich is trying to sell all his villas in England. He also wants to get rid of Chelsea quickly.
      “I and three other people received an offer on Tuesday to buy Chelsea from Abramovich.”
      Wyss says Abramovich is asking for too much money to buy the club, with the Blues believed to owe the Russian £2bn.
      He continued: “I have to wait four to five days now. Abramovich is currently asking far too much. You know, Chelsea owe him £2billion.
      “But Chelsea has no money. What it means is that anyone who buys Chelsea should have to compensate Abramovich.
      “As of today, we don’t know the exact selling price.
      “I can well imagine starting at Chelsea with partners. But I have to examine the general conditions first.
      “What I can already say is this: I’m definitely not doing something like this alone. If I buy Chelsea, then it would be with a consortium consisting of six to seven investors.” More

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      in Soccer

      Roman Abramovich ‘wants minimum of £3 billion’ to sell Chelsea, Dortmund keen on Werner transfer, Christensen EXIT talks

      by

      CHELSEA owner Roman Abramovich has set his price tag on Chelsea at £3 BILLION according to reports.The Russian businessman has already sounded out offers from eight fellow billionaires but none have matched the amount he wants.
      Dortmund are planning a summer transfer scoop for out of favour Blues attacker, Timo Werner.
      Andreas Christensen is also heading for the exit door and it looks as if he will join Barcelona who have offered the defender a mouth-watering deal.
      Follow ALL of the latest updates and transfer gossip from Stamford Bridge right here…
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      Chelsea dominating today’s football news
      The Blues have been in the news today, with Roman Abramovich set to sell the club after nearly 20 years at the helm.
      The Russian is looking to sell Chelsea for in excess of £3BILLION.
      And Abramovich is prepared to do a deal within DAYS if he gets the offer he wants.
      The Blues owner has always refused to contemplate giving up his stake in the club he bought in 2003.
      But with the threat of UK Government sanctions now hanging over the billionaire in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the situation has changed.
      SunSport understands that Abramovich has approached a group of US financiers with a previous interest in sports ownership deals to see if they can smoke out genuine bidders.
      The news comes as Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss claimed he has ALREADY been approached by Abramovich.
      Elsewhere on the Stamford Bridge front, the Blues could offload flop Timo Werner – with Borussia Dortmund keen.
      Meanwhile, defender Andreas Christensen is reportedly on the verge of sealing a free transfer to Barcelona – while Cesar Azpilicueta may also move to Catalonia.
      Load more entries… More

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      in Soccer

      Ex-Chelsea star Diego Costa closing in on new club after reaching free transfer agreement with Corinthians

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      EX-CHELSEA star Diego Costa is reportedly closing in on finding a new club after reaching an agreement with Corinthians.The 33-year-old won the Brazilian title last season with Atletico Mineiro but terminated his contract, making him a free agent.
      Costa won the Brazilian league last seasonCredit: AFP
      Costa was believed to be hoping to secure a move back to Europe, where he had a very successful career in both Spain and England.
      Costa was reportedly shelving offers from various clubs while ‘waiting for one in particular that never came.’
      And now according to AS via UOL, Costa has reached an agreement with Sao Paulo-based Corinthians.
      New boss Vitor Pereira, who arrived at the start of the year, will be hoping Costa can replicate the same form he showed for the league winners.
      Costa netted SEVEN goals in 26 games he played for Atletico Mineiro.
      And he starred alongside Hulk, 35, who had a successful career in Russia and Portugal.
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      Although the weekly wage Costa will pick up is unknown, it has previously been reported that his services could be acquired for around £46,000-a-week.
      According to Bild, a consultant touted the striker’s services to the mid-table German side Mainz by messaging one of their scouts on WhatsApp.
      They added that Costa wanted an 18-month deal worth around £46k a week.
      The scout didn’t take the offer seriously, however. More