Team Sale No. 2
Todd Boehly and Mark Walter are in talks to sell their minority stakes in Chelsea FC to majority owner Clearlake Capital, according to the Financial Times.
Clearlake currently owns 61.5% of Chelsea’s parent company, while Boehly, Walter and Hansjörg Wyss split the remaining 38.5%. A deal for Boehly and Walter’s shares would further consolidate control under Clearlake and could value the club at more than £5 billion which is roughly double the £2.5 billion purchase price paid for Chelsea in 2022.
The talks follow years of reported disagreements between Boehly and Clearlake over the club’s strategic direction. But perhaps more pertinent is the fact that they also come shortly after Walter agreed to sell his controlling stake in the Lakers amid mounting financial and legal pressure connected to his insurance businesses.
No agreement is guaranteed but Walter could now be preparing to exit a second major sports franchise within a matter of weeks. The FBI must have some serious dirt on this guy!
