Chelsea takeover set to be confirmed THIS WEEK as Todd Boehly closes in on £4.25billion deal and hands out £50m bonuses
CHELSEA’S £4.25billion takeover is now set to be confirmed by the Government THIS WEEK.
And directors Marina Granovskaia and Bruce Buck are among club executives who will share a £50million bonus from new owner Todd Boehly.
On Monday, Government sources suggested Roman Abramovich’s demands could see the Blues takeover “fall apart”.
The contentious issue was how the £1.6bn owed Chelsea to the Russian would be moved into a new account to fund the planned charitable foundation.
But after days of wrangling involving club and government lawyers, the trustees of Jersey-based Camberley International Investments were given indemnity from any legal action.
That clears the way for the initial £2.5bn payment from the Boehly consortium to be paid into a Government-controlled holding account before being transferred to the foundation – once Treasury officials confirm no money will end up in Abramovich’s pocket.
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With the Premier League ready to officially announce the Boehly consortium has passed its owners and directors test, that will see the club finally change hands.
And as part of the deal, Boahly and his partners have agreed the lucrative bonus payments as a reward for the effort of Chelsea officials over the past two months.
It is understood that Granovskaia, a long-term employee of Abramovoch who has been running the club on his behalf in recent years, will bank £20m.
The rest will be split between chairman Buck and other senior staff who have been involved in the extensive negotiations with Boehly over the past five weeks and in the initial phase of the sale process.
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Buck and Granovskaia have also both been offered to stay on as part of the new Chelsea ownership group although neither are believed to have made a final decision.
Meanwhile, former Unicef chief Mike Penrose, charged by Abramovich with heading the proposed foundation, also vowed to ministers that the Russian could not benefit from the deal.
Penrose said: “No one who has any association with Roman Abramovich would be employed to do anything.
“No one could receive any financial benefit from this at all. I’ve never met him. I’ve never spoken to him.
“The only commentary I’ve ever had back from Chelsea or from others is that this looks like exactly what we want.”