Chelsea get green light to begin summer transfer business after Todd Boehly takeover is completed

The Roman Abramovich era is well and truly over with the government confirming the sale of Chelsea to a consortium led by Todd Boehly.

Russian oligarch Abramovich was sanctioned in March by the government for his alleged links with Vladimir Putin after the invasion of Ukraine, and that involved freezing of all his UK assets including Chelsea.

The process of the sale began then and as the weeks went by, the the effects of sanctions were felt in every department of the club.

Most notably the inability to negotiate new deals has seen key defender Antonio Rudiger leave to join Real Madrid, while Andreas Chrsitensen and César Azpilicueta have one leg out of the club.

In a statement announcing the completion of the sale, Chelsea revealed they had had more than 250 enquiries and held discussions with over 100 individuals and groups.

It said: “Ultimately, the club received 12 credible bids, resulting in four and then three final bidders.

“The Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital consortium was chosen as the preferred bidder.”

The club’s statement explained that the sporting success of the consortium in America made them the preferred bidder.

It said: “Todd and Mark [Walter’s] participation in the ownership of several sports franchises with sustained winning traditions, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Los Angeles Sparks.

“A belief by the board that this group could help the Club resolve certain current challenges and could assist in creating new opportunities, and help the club reach its long-term strategic objectives.

“We believe the board and the Boehly/Clearlake group have a shared vision for the future of Chelsea Football Club.”

The news of the completion of sale comes at the right time, as there is a total rebuild required to a squad which finished third in the Premier League and lost in the final of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup.

Thomas Tuchel has admitted that the situation surrounding the club handicapped them, with Europe’s top teams already competing for the best talents while Chelsea just sit and watch.

The Blues are now expected to make their move for long-term target Jules Koundé, who has had another impressive season at Sevilla.

There has been growing interest too in West Ham’s Declan Rice, while there were reports in Italy this morning that Rome Lukaku’s Inter Milan teammate Lautaro Martínez is on the list of Tuchel.

With the transfer window just days away, this is the best possible news that could come out of Chelsea this week.