Todd Boehly is closing in on an exit from Chelsea, with the American businessman believed to be progressing in talks to sell his minority stake in the Premier League club to Behdad Eghbali's Clearlake Capital group.
Boehly is Chelsea's chairman and was the public face of the 2022 takeover that ended Roman Abramovich's ownership of the club. He also holds stakes in Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers and the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers. He owns his Chelsea stake alongside fellow investors Mark Walter and Hansjorg Wyss, a Swiss businessman, who together with Boehly hold 38.5 per cent of the club. The remaining 61.5 per cent belongs to Clearlake Capital, the private equity group led by Eghbali and Jose E Feliciano. Chelsea are six-time English champions and two-time winners of the Champions League.
A spokesperson for Walter confirmed in a statement issued to Bloomberg that he is seeking to sell his stake, with an agreement understood to be close. Boehly is likewise expected to sell, while Wyss's position on a potential sale has not been confirmed.
Clearlake's growing influence
Eghbali has been the most hands-on of Chelsea's co-owners since the 2022 takeover, which saw the consortium pay £2.5 billion for the club with a further £1.75 billion committed to investment. He regularly liaises with the sporting directorship team and is a consistent attendee at matches both home and away.
If Boehly, Walter and Wyss all agreed to an in-house sale, they would expect to make a minor profit on their original investment.
The spokesperson's statement to Bloomberg read: "This potential transaction values Mark Walter's stake in Chelsea Football Club at a premium to his initial investment and is another successful sports investment for him. After this exit, Mr Walter intends to make future sports-related investments."
The spokesperson added: "Walter did not initiate the proposed transaction to sell his interest, which has been in the works for quite some time."
Boehly's early role in transfers
Boehly tried his hand at being directly involved in transfer negotiations in the early days of the takeover. He once admitted to buying Marc Cucurella from Brighton & Hove Albion because Manchester City also wanted the defender. Eghbali has largely led the club's transfer strategy since that early experiment.
Reports have suggested Boehly and Eghbali have had a strained relationship, with speculation for around two years that one would eventually buy out the other.
