Roman Abramovich has denied asking for his £ 1.6bn loan to be paid to Chelsea and said the funds would be frozen once the club is sold.
The prospect of Todd Boehly’s consortium completing the takeover of European champions has been called into question this week amid fears that Abramovich will reject his promise to write off the club’s debt. Sources close to the trial said Chelsea had informed the government that it wanted to restructure the sale during talks last week.
However, Abramovich, who was hit by sanctions after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, tried to refute the allegations. The Russian oligarch’s refusals will boost hopes that Chelsea, whose special operating license expires on May 31, will soon be under new ownership. The Boehly consortium is in a five-day exclusive period after being selected as the preferred candidate last week and remains a favorite to buy Chelsea, despite late interest from Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
A spokesman for Abramovich said: “Mr Abramovich has not asked for his loan to be repaid – such allegations are completely false – as well as allegations that Mr Abramovich increased the price of the club at the last minute. However, as part of Mr Abramovich’s goal of finding a good keeper for Chelsea FC, he encouraged every candidate in the process to commit to investing in the club – including the academy, the women’s team, the necessary stadium refurbishment and maintenance. of the work of the Chelsea Foundation.
“Following the sanctions and other restrictions imposed on Mr Abramovich by the United Kingdom following the announcement that the club would be sold, the loan has also come under EU sanctions, which requires further approval. This means that the funds will be frozen and subject to a legal procedure run by the authorities. These funds are still earmarked for the foundation. The government is aware of these limitations as well as the legal consequences.
“To be clear, Mr. Abramovich has no access to or control over these funds and there will be no access to or control over these funds after the sale. Despite the changing circumstances after its initial announcement, he remains committed to finding a good keeper for Chelsea FC and making sure the proceeds go to good causes.
Abramovich, who denied raising his asking price by £ 500m last week, initially said he wanted to donate net proceeds from the sale of victims of the war in Ukraine.
His spokesman insisted that this remained the case: “Mr Abramovich’s intentions regarding the donation of proceeds from the sale of Chelsea to charity have not changed. Following the initial announcement, Mr Abramovich’s team identified senior representatives of UN bodies and major global charities tasked with setting up a foundation and drawing up a plan for its work.
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“The leading independent expert held talks with government officials, presenting the structure and initial plans. Mr. Abramovich was not involved in this work and it was managed independently by experts with many years of experience working in humanitarian organizations.
Consortia led by Sir Martin Broughton and Steve Palyuka are watching with interest in the event that Boehly’s bid fails. Ratcliffe also insisted that his proposal should be taken seriously, although Raine, the US bank that sells it, does not see the British billionaire as part of the process at the moment.
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