Boehly and Walter in talks to SELL Chelsea stakes to Clearwater

Chelsea shareholders Todd Boehly and Mark Walter are in talks to to sell their stakes in the Premier League club to majority owner Clearlake Capital. It comes just over four years after the BlueCo consortium including Boehly, Walter and Clearlake purchased Chelsea in a deal worth £2.5billion.

They also pledged to invest a further £1.75bn into the club which has been on a tumultuous ride since their takeover. Chelsea have spent nearly £1.5bn on player transfer fees since May 2022 but haven't won either the Premier League or Champions League.

A report from The Financial Times now claims that Boehly, Chelsea's chairman and co-controlling owner, and board member Walter have been in discussions to sell their respective 12.8 per cent stakes. The deal would value the club at more than £5bn.

Clearlake - a private equity firm based in California - is Chelsea's majority shareholder, boasting a 61.5 per cent stake. The remaining 38.5 per cent is split equally between Walter, Boehly and 90-year-old Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss.

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It's unknown whether Wyss also plans to cash in. The move comes two years after it emerged that Clearlake and Boehly were prepared to buy each other out.

Chelsea's ownership model has come under fierce scrutiny since the takeover. Aside from poor recruitment, six different permanent managers and disappointing results, fans have been angered by ticket prices and spoken out against BlueCo's multi-club model.

Xabi Alonso marks Chelsea's next great hope for the men's first-team, having been appointed in May following the sacking of Liam Rosenior and an interim spell for Calum McFarlane. The Blues have spent a cool £348million on signings while recouping £138m.

Where will Chelsea finish this season? Give us your prediction in the comments section.

Alonso's side kick-off their season away to West London rivals Fulham next Monday. Chelsea won three of their six pre-season games, losing two and drawing the other.

Two of Chelsea's most interesting signings have been Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson, the latter of whom arrived on a free transfer. Both players are 35 and 36 respectively, signalling a change of approach from BlueCo.

Speaking to Men In Blazers recently, Alonso explained: "For sure, we need to have the right balance in everything. The right balance in physicality, the right balance in talent and experience. You need to have the right balance in players you need to develop, and to develop this maturity."