Chelsea takeover: Stefan Borson drops ‘enormous’ ownership claim
Chelsea’s co-owners would have to pay an “enormous” amount of money if they want to buy each other out and complete a full takeover of the club.
That is the view of finance expert Stefan Borson, who exclusively told Football Insider it could cost between £2-3billion for either party to strike a deal despite Clearlake Capital currently being in the “driving seat”.
A consortium led by Todd Boehly completed its £4.25billion takeover in May 2022, bringing to an end Roman Abramovich’s 19-year reign at Stamford Bridge.
But under the agreement, Clearlake secured a 61.5-per-cent stake in the Premier League side, while Boehly and fellow billionaires Mark Walter and Hansjorg Wyss each hold 12.8-per-cent shareholdings.
Clearlake co-founder Behdad Eghbali is believed to be the most active and powerful figure at Chelsea despite Boehly being named chairman until 2027.
Bloomberg reported on 6 September Boehly now wants to buy out the US private equity firm after relations between the west London club’s owners have soured in recent months.
But Sky Sports reported on 10 September Clearlake has no intention of selling its shares, with the two parties in a stand-off over who will take Chelsea forward.
Clearlake Capital in the driving seat in Chelsea takeover battle
Borson believes it’s currently unclear how the ownership battle will pan out at Stamford Bridge.
“We will have to see where it goes,” Borson told Football Insider.
“Clearly, Clearlake have got the dominant position in terms of having 61 per cent of the shares.
“Then you have got three individuals who have got 13 per cent each. If they talk as one as a 39-per-cent block, then clearly they have got quite a lot more power.
“But it’s not a foregone conclusion how this pans out.
“The sums that are required are still enormous, assuming that the valuation is broadly what they paid or a little bit more. These parties could need £2-3billion to get rid of the other.
“It’s not that easy to raise those kinds of numbers for a club that is currently losing £200million a year at the operating level.
“I would say that Clearlake given the dominant position they have on the board in terms of 61 per cent of the shareholding and the number of seats that they have are in the driving seat.
“But it’s not a foregone conclusion how it ends.”
In other news, major update on Chelsea agreeing January deal for Viktor Gyokeres.
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