Chelsea’s American investment firm Clearlake Capital has taken full control of the Premier League club after buying out the remaining stakes held by chairman Todd Boehly and director Mark Walter.
Clearlake, co-founded by Behdad Eghbali and Jose E. Feliciano, previously owned 61.5% of the Blues, with Boehly, Walter, and Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss each holding a 12.8% stake. With Boehly and Walter now exiting, Clearlake has effectively acquired full ownership, while Wyss remains a stakeholder and partner in the ownership group, according to the club.
The deal, reportedly worth close to £1bn for the two stakes — about a quarter of the club — values Chelsea at around £5bn.
Boehly will step down as chairman, a role he has held since the consortium bought Chelsea for £2.3bn from Roman Abramovich in 2022, after the Russian businessman was sanctioned by the UK government over alleged ties to President Vladimir Putin, which he has denied.
Reports of a possible sale first emerged in August, with sources pointing to a rift within the ownership group dating back to 2024 that pushed both camps to consider buying each other out.
Boehly, who also co-owns the LA Dodgers, described his time as Chelsea chairman as an honour, thanking the Premier League, coaches, players, staff, and fans for their role in the club’s progress. He said he remains confident in Chelsea’s prospects under Clearlake’s leadership.
Boehly and Walter have also offloaded their stakes in Chelsea’s partner club, Ligue 1 side Strasbourg.
Since the 2022 takeover, Chelsea’s best Premier League finish has been fourth place in 2024-25 — a season that also brought UEFA Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup titles. The club finished 10th last season and brought in Xabi Alonso as head coach over the summer.
Eghbali and Feliciano praised Boehly’s contribution as chairman, saying he would remain part of the “Chelsea story and family,” and reaffirmed plans to keep investing in infrastructure, sporting performance, and player development.
Chelsea’s long-running plans to redevelop Stamford Bridge or relocate to a new stadium have reportedly been a source of friction between the two camps at various points.
The club has stressed there will be no changes to day-to-day operations, leadership, or strategy following the ownership shift.
In a separate development, Walter — CEO of Guggenheim Partners — sold the LA Lakers for a record $12.5bn last month, a year after acquiring majority control of the franchise. His broader business empire is also reportedly under investigation by US federal prosecutors and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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