The UK government has approved the £4.25bn takeover of Chelsea by a consortium led by LA Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly.

Chelsea FC was put up for sale in March before former owner, Roman Abramovich, was sanctioned over his links to Russian president, Vladimir Putin.

On Tuesday, the Premier League announced the consortium had passed its owners' and directors' test.

The club is operating under a special government licence which expires on 31 May.

"Late last night the UK government reached a position where we could issue a licence that permits the sale of Chelsea," a government spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday.

The government does not want Abramovich to receive any of the proceeds from the sale, which will rather go into a frozen bank account to be donated to charity.

"Following the sanctioning of Roman Abramovich, the government has worked hard to ensure Chelsea has been able to continue to play football. But we have always been clear that the long-term future of the club could only be secured under a new owner.

"Following extensive work, we are now satisfied that the full proceeds of the sale will not benefit Roman Abramovich or any other sanctioned individual. We will now begin the process of ensuring the proceeds of the sale are used for humanitarian causes in Ukraine, supporting victims of the war.

"The steps today will secure the future of this important cultural asset and protect fans and the wider football community. We have been in discussions with relevant international partners for necessary licences required and we thank them for all their cooperation," the statement added.

Earlier this month the deal seemed close to collapse over concerns proceeds would not reach good causes as promised by Abramovich.

Abramovich denied that he had asked for his £1.5bn loan to Chelsea be repaid when the club was sold.

Many parties expressed interest but Chelsea agreed to sell to the Boehly-led consortium earlier this month.

The consortium is led by Boehly, but Clearlake Capital - a Californian private equity firm - would own a majority of the shares in Chelsea. Other investors include US billionaire Mark Walter, also a co-owner of the LA Dodgers, and Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss.

Chelsea finished the Premier League season in third place, losing both the EFL Cup and FA Cup finals to Liverpool on penalties, and going out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals.

Former Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the move would be a "complete relief" for everyone connected to the club.

"Today's announcement will be complete relief that [Chelsea] can get on with business as usual and do what is needed to ensure the team is best prepared for next season," said Kenyon.

"We've got a very short transfer window and plans will have been made before.

"They have already lost some players through not being able to re-sign them so I think everybody - the squad and the management - will be relieved they can get on with the job they're employed to do."










































Source: BBC
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