Clearlake 'would love' to get out of Chelsea - 'They're in it up to their neck'
Clearlake would jump at the chance to sell Chelsea at a profit at the moment.
That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that the Blues' American owners are searching for a way out.
Clearlake recently bought out Todd Boehly and Mark Walter to increase their stake in the West London outfit, but their long-term future at Stamford Bridge now appears bleak.
However, Wyness believes that Behdad Eghbali and Co. are "in it up to their neck" at Chelsea and are currently having their exit route blocked by the issues surrounding their stadium.
Stamford Bridge has one of the smallest capacities of any of the Premier League's leading clubs, which, in turn, is seeing Chelsea miss out on the potential for vastly increased revenue.
A possible redevelopment or move to a new home has been a major issue for the ownership in recent years, but the value of land in West London has proven to be hugely problematic.
Clearlake buy at 'false valuation' amid sustained 'challenge'
Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that Clearlake are working to try and ensure that Chelsea's value remains as high as possible for a potential sale.
He made it clear that they bought Boehly's shares in the club for a "false valuation" in order to protect the value of the rest of the club on the market.
However, speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, Wyness is in no doubt that the exit door will not open for them until the "challenge" of Stamford Bridge can be overcome.
"Well, the maths make it very hard for it to come to fruition. We know in West London it costs a lot of money to redevelop a football stadium and that's the big issue they've got," he said.
"Clearlake are in it as private equity guys now, and they're in it up to their neck. We've just seen the Todd Boehly situation where they've probably given a false valuation to his shares to buy him out.
"If they're going to flip this club at some stage, they're going to have to do it with a new stadium, either a new stadium or an improved Stamford Bridge.
"They can't get a profit on their investment right now with a 40,000-seat Stamford Bridge as it is. it's going to have to be up to 60,000, 65,000. They will know that challenge.
"They knew it coming in, and they thought it was going to be a little bit easier, or they were a little bit smarter where nobody else has been able to do it before.
"I've got a feeling that Clearlake would love to get out of Chelsea now if they could at a profit."
How much would it cost to upgrade Stamford Bridge?
Former Manchester City financial advisor Stefan Borson previously told Football Insider in September that a full redevelopment of Stamford Bridge would likely cost Chelsea up to "£2billion."
The football finance expert pointed towards the club's debt of around £1.4bn as the major obstacle for any redevelopment work being in the immediate pipeline.
Borson is in no doubt that the upgrade is effectively "impossible" at the moment, unless a new investor came to the table and was willing to make it happen at any cost.
Clearlake's desire to cash in on Chelsea is becoming increasingly clear, but they look set to face a blocked exit door for the next few years at least.