Chelsea Reach UCL After Arsenal’s Loss, Takeover Bid In Doubt

 

Chelsea’s automatic qualification to the UEFA Champions League was confirmed on Monday night following the 2-0 defeat of top 3 challengers Arsenal to Newcastle United at Saint James’ Park.

Ben White’s own goal and Callum Wilson scored the Toons’ goals which means Tottenham Hotspur are the likely north London side to finish in the top four as they are set to face already relegated Norwich City while Arsenal square up against Everton who are battling to remain in the league.

Meanwhile the proposed sale of Chelsea has been plunged into fresh doubt, with the government now ‘seriously concerned’ that Roman Abramovich would be ‘willing to let Chelsea go under’.

A consortium led by US investor Todd Boehly have agreed terms on a £4.25billion takeover to end the Abramovich era but there is now ‘alarm’ among ministers that the deal may be at risk of ‘falling apart’ over the oligarch’s alleged ‘refusal to agree’ to a proposed sale structure.

With the final deadline for a deal to go through a fortnight away, negotiations have hit another snag over the £1.6bn owed by Chelsea’s parent company, Fordstam Ltd, to Jersey-registered Camberley International Investments, a company with suspected links to Abramovich.

The government say they have been ‘clear all along’ that they will not countenance any deal that could possibly see some money end up in Abramovich’s pocket.

It’s undstood ministers proposed that funds from any sale would be kept in a holding account, and released only once they are satisfied the money can go to a foundation to help victims of the Ukraine war.

Abramovich recently denied he was going back on a pledge to write off the debt but on Monday a government source suggested that ‘despite committing to all proceeds going to good causes in public, Abramovich seems unwilling to give the same legal commitments.’