This is coming after Boehly’s consortium was named as the preferred bidder to take over at Stamford Bridge by the Raine Group, the American bank who are overseeing the sale. He partnered with fellow Dodgers owner Mark Walter, Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss as well as investment firm Clearlake Capital to purchase the club.

Boehly saw off competition from consortiums fronted by Stephen Pagliuca and Sir Martin Broughton and even a late £4.25bn bid from Britain’s richest man Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

Chelsea confirmed on their official website in the early hours of Saturday morning that Boehly and his consortium can purchase the club, following the UK Government’s approval.

The statement read: ‘Chelsea Football Club can confirm that terms have been agreed for a new ownership group, led by Todd Boehly, Clearlake Capital, Mark Walter and Hansjoerg Wyss, to acquire the Club.

‘Of the total investment being made, £2.5bn will be applied to purchase the shares in the Club and such proceeds will be deposited into a frozen UK bank account with the intention to donate 100 per cent to charitable causes as confirmed by Roman Abramovich. UK Government approval will be required for the proceeds to be transferred from the frozen UK bank account.

‘In addition, the proposed new owners will commit £1.75bn in further investment for the benefit of the Club. This includes investments in Stamford Bridge, the Academy, the Women’s Team and Kingsmeadow and continued funding for the Chelsea Foundation.

‘The sale is expected to complete in late May subject to all necessary regulatory approvals. More details will be provided at that time.’

Russian billionaire, Roman Abramovich put the club up for sale just before the UK Government sanctioned him in March following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and his close relationship with Russian president, Vladimir Putin.

The finance ministry said restrictions “apply to any entities that are owned or controlled by Roman Abramovich”, adding: “This means Chelsea Football Club is now also subject to an asset freeze under UK financial sanctions

Among others sanctioned are leading industrialist Oleg Deripaska, Rosneft chief executive Igor Sechin and the head of Gazprom Alexei Miller, the government announced.

Speculation has swirled for weeks about whether Abramovich would be included on the targeted action against Russian billionaires perceived to be close to the Kremlin.

Abramovich announced last week that he was selling Chelsea, after buying the English Premier League side in 2003, and bankrolled its successes at domestic and European level.

The UK government estimated his net worth at £9.4 billion (11.1 billion euros, $12.2 billion), but said it was mitigating the effect of the sanctions on Chelsea by allowing the club to continue to operate.

A special licence “authorises a number of football-related activities”, the government said in a statement.

“This includes permissions for the club to continue playing matches and other football-related activity which will in turn protect the Premier League, the wider football pyramid, loyal fans and other clubs,” it added

Deripaska is Abramovich’s one-time business partner, while officials described Sechin as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “right-hand man”.

The four others — Miller, VTB bank chairman Andrey Kostin, Transneft president Nikolai Tokarev and Bank Rossiya chairman Dmitri Lebedev — are part of his inner circle,

Collectively, the seven have a net worth of about £15 billion, the statement read.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the sanctions “the latest step in the UK’s unwavering support for the Ukrainian people”.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss added: “Today’s sanctions show once again that oligarchs and kleptocrats have no place in our economy or society.

“With their close links to Putin they are complicit in his aggression. The blood of the Ukrainian people is on their hands. They should hang their heads in shame

On Wednesday, March 2, Abramovich issued a statement, where he revealed he will be selling Chelsea due to Russia’s invasion in Ukraine and the subsequent sanctions imposed on Russian businesses and economy.

Abramovich became Chelsea’s owner back in 2003. Since his takeover, Chelsea has gone on to win 21 major titles

Speaking at the Financial Times Business of Football Summit, Neville was asked about his opinion on the situation at Chelsea and Abramovich’s alleged association with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Neville said: “There are alleged links between Abramovich and [Vladimir] Putin. I think what he [Putin] has done this week has meant the association with Chelsea and Abramovich has become a problem. Am I in a situation where I feel Roman Abramovich should be kicked out of Chelsea, should be kicked out of English football, no I’m actually not there.In respect of Abramovich and Chelsea, he has been an owner of Chelsea now for 20 years and from my point of view I’ve spoken openly about how I’ve welcomed the challenge to the historical elite, which was Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal.”

Abramovich released a statement on Saturday night, February 26, that he was handing the “stewardship and care” of Chelsea to the club’s charitable foundation

But the Russian billionaire will remain Chelsea owner having invested over £1billion into the Stamford Bridge club since purchasing it in 2003. He will not be asking the club to repay the loans it owes him, meaning the long-term future of the club remains secure.

He said on Chelsea’s official website: “During my nearly 20-year ownership of Chelsea FC, I have always viewed my role as a custodian of the Club, whose job it is ensuring that we are as successful as we can be today, as well as build for the future, while also playing a positive role in our communities.

“I have always taken decisions with the Club’s best interest at heart. I remain committed to these values.

“That is why I am today giving trustees of Chelsea’s charitable Foundation the stewardship and care of Chelsea FC

“I believe that currently, they are in the best position to look after the interests of the Club, players, staff, and fans.”

Abramovich’s decision to step back comes after several MPs made it clear they thought the Chelsea owner shouldn’t be in charge of the European champions due to his alleged links to Vladimir Putin

Labour MP Chris Bryant said on Friday that Abramovich’s assets should be seized by the UK over allegations from a leaked 2019 Home Office document

Bryant told the Commons: “I’ve got hold of a leaked document from 2019, from the Home Office, which says in relation to Mr Abramovich: ‘As part of HMG’s [Her Majesty’s government] Russia strategy aimed at targeting illicit finance and malign activity, Abramovich remains of interest to HMG due to his links to the Russian state and his public association with corrupt activity and practices.”

The billionaire has not been seen at his Premier League football club’s south-west London home, Stamford Bridge, for months and in 2018 withdrew his application for a British Tier 1 investor visa in the wake of the Salisbury poisonings by Russian agents.

According to The Sun UK, senior UK security sources now say it is unlikely that the Abramovic, 55, will ever be allowed to live in Britain again.

Immigration officials are reportedly under instructions from the UK government to make it impossible for Abramovich who owns a £125million mansion near Kensington Palace to live in the UK.

The Government’s Home Office’s ‘Special Cases Unit’ is handling his case and the action comes after Russia conducted a full invasion of Ukraine

This week UK politicians named Abramovich as one of 35 oligarchs identified by Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny as one of the ‘key enablers’ of the country’s president Vladimir Putin.

Abramovic vehemently denies he is close to the Kremlin or has done anything that would merit sanctions being imposed against him.

In 2018 Mr Abramovich became an Israeli citizen, allowing him to enter Britain for up to six months and he used his Israeli passport last October to make a short trip to London.

But sources said if he wants to be resident in the UK he will have to apply formally for a permanent visa.

A senior source told The Sun: “Any attempt would almost certainly be rejected.”

As well as his huge property portfolio, he also owns a series of superyachts, including the £450million Solaris, which has a missile detection system.

He bought Chelsea in 2003 and transformed the team from outside challengers to a Premier League giant.

Yesterday Boris Johnson corrected a Commons statement, made on Tuesday February 21, that Abramovich had been officially sanctioned by the Government.

The PM said the billionaire “has not been the subject of targeted measures”.

According to reports, Abramovich is said to have ‘requested an urgent meeting’ with Messi’s representatives.

On Thursday, August 5, Barcelona announced that Messi, 34, will leave the club after 21 years, as they will not be able to renew his contract due to financial regulations in Spain. It means Messi is now a free agent, with Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain in pole position to sign him.

However, PSG may not be able to meet its wage demands and City has just spent £100million on Jack Grealish while also pursuing £150m Harry Kane.

According to the reputable AS in Spain, Abramovich has ‘set his eyes’ on Messi and ‘requested an urgent meeting’ with his team. The Blues are in the market for a new attacker with Erling Haaland a major target at the start of the summer. Haaland is now set to stay put at Borussia Dortmund, with Chelsea switching focus to Inter’s Romelu Lukaku.

However, the surprise news about Messi’s sudden availability has made Chelsea switch focus with the report claiming Chelsea are continuing negotiations for Lukaku while exploring signing Messi.

The report also suggests a move to France is ‘almost impossible’ due to high taxes and the club’s need to reduce its wage bill.

It has been speculated that Messi may prefer a move to City, where the legendary forward could link up with former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola. But Chelsea’s new interest could now change the direction because Chelsea is in a stronger financial position to sign Messi.