Chelsea have confirmed that they have a deal on the sale of the club to Todd Boehly. The deal is expected to be done on Monday, with Roman Abramovich, the former owner, penning a farewell as he hands over the custodianship.
Abramovich wrote on the club's website: "For nearly three months since I announced my intention to sell Chelsea FC. The team have worked hard to find the right custodian for Chelsea FC that would be the best positioned to lead the club into its next chapter.
The ownership of the club comes with great responsibility. I saw first-hand what this club can do since I came to Chelsea nearly 20 years ago. My goal has been to make sure that the next owner has a mindset that will enable success for the men and women's team, as well as the will and drive to continue developing other key aspects of the club, such as the academy and the vital work of the Chelsea Foundation.
I am pleased that this search has come to a successful conclusion. As I hand over Chelsea to its new custodians, I would like to wish them the best of their success, both on and off the pitch. The billionaire says it has been an honour to be involved with Chelsea and that it has been an honour of a lifetime. He said that he would like to thank all the club's past and current players, staff, and of course fans for these incredible years. As a result of our joint successes, millions of people will benefit from the new charitable foundation that is being established. This is the legacy we have created together. Boehly, the leader of a Clearlake Capital consortium, is going to buy the Premier League club for a record deal of 4.25 billion, a 4.25 billion sports franchise deal, 88 days after Abramovich put the Blues up for sale.
A short statement on Chelsea's website said Chelsea confirmed that the club will be sold to the Todd Boehly Clearlake Capital consortium with the transaction expected to be completed on Monday.