Chelsea confident Todd Boehly takeover WILL be cleared despite Government claims the £4.25bn deal is under threat

CHELSEA remain confident the takeover deal with Todd Boehly WILL be cleared – despite Government suggestions the club’s future is under threat.

Blues chiefs have refused to rise to the bait after Government briefings claiming the £4.25bn sale could “fall apart” over Roman Abramovich’s demand for £1.6bn of the initial payment to initially be sent to a Jersey-based holding company.

AP

Chelsea remain confident Todd Boehly and his consortium’s £4.25bn bid to buy the club will be cleared[/caption]

The Government wants the entire sum to be placed in a holding account before being processed on to the planned charitable foundation.

Threats that Chelsea could be “booted out” of elite level football if a deal is not completed by the end of May were viewed as little more than sabre rattling with clubs bosses intent on completing the sale in the coming days.

Prem chiefs are ready to ratify their element of the sale to the Boehly-led consortium before the season ends on Sunday although the final details must pass Government sign-off.

And while the tone of the words from the Government have caused concerns among some fans, club bosses kept their heads down yesterday believing the storm will pass.

Their positive stance was intensified as the man charged by Abramovich with heading the proposed foundation, former Unicef chief Mike Penrose, write his own letter to ministers vowing the Russian could not benefit from the deal.

Penrose said: “No one who has any association with Roman Abramovich would be employed to do anything.

“No one could receive any financial benefit from this at all. 

“I’ve never met him. I’ve never spoken to him.

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“The club reached out to me to do this, so I have created this independently on my own initiative. 

“All I’ve ever done is referred back and the only commentary I’ve ever had back from Chelsea or from others is that this looks like exactly what we want.”