Chelsea FC
Todd Boehly / Clearlake Capital-led consortium acquisition · 7 May 2022
- Seller
- Fordstam Limited
- Stake acquired
- 100%
- Control
- Yes
- Reported consideration
- €2.92bn
- Implied equity value
- €2.92bn
- League
- Premier League
- Country
- England
- Confidence
- HIGH
Buyer profile: Clearlake Capital / BlueCo ownership group: clubs owned, where they buy next
Todd Boehly / Clearlake Capital-led consortium acquired 100% of Chelsea FC from Fordstam Limited, announced 7 May 2022, closing 30 May 2022.
Reported consideration was €2.92bn. That implies a 100% equity value of €2.92bn (calculated by us). Announced enterprise value was ~€2.94bn. A further €2.05bn was announced as an investment commitment.
Nearest pre-acquisition revenue was €507m (FY 2020/21), an equity value / revenue multiple of 5.77x.
- Announced
- 7 May 2022
- Closed
- 30 May 2022
- Stake after transaction
- 100%
- Status
- completed
Reported consideration
What the buyer reportedly paid for the stake
Implied 100% equity value
Calculated: consideration ÷ stake acquired
Reported club valuation
Enterprise value
Only shown when debt/cash near the transaction date is established
Debt assumed / restructured
Primary capital injection
Total announced investment commitment
Commitments are not purchase price and not valuation
Nearest pre-acquisition financial year: 2020/21
Revenue
Wages
EBITDA
Net debt
Net income
Core facts (buyer identity, joint Boehly/Clearlake control, 100% stake, completion on 30 May 2022) are confirmed via Chelsea FC's and Clearlake's own completion statements, which notably disclose no price. The widely cited £2.5bn share consideration and separate £1.75bn investment commitment come from consistent, high-quality media reporting (Sky Sports, ESPN, Variety) rather than a primary filing, so both are marked REPORTED rather than CONFIRMED.
- Clearlake Capital press release: Consortium Led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital Completes Acquisition of Chelsea Football Club ↗Tier 1 · primary company
2022-05-30 — “Fetch via search snippet: consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital Group L.P. announced completion of ownership transfer; consortium includes Hansjörg Wyss and Mark Walter; Boehly and Clearlake share joint control.”
- Chelsea FC official site: Consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital completes acquisition of Chelsea Football Club ↗Tier 1 · primary company
2022-05-30 — “"Boehly and Clearlake will share joint control and equal governance of the Club. Boehly will serve as Chairman of the holding company." No purchase price disclosed in the statement.”
- Sky Sports: Chelsea takeover: Todd Boehly completes £4.25bn takeover as Roman Abramovich era ends ↗Tier 3 · media
2022-05-30 — “Total investment cost £4.25bn, with £2.5bn being the sale price of the club, and a separate agreement for £1.75bn to be invested over 10 years.”
2022-05-30 — “Confirms £4.25bn total figure combining £2.5bn purchase price and £1.75bn investment commitment, and completion of the takeover ending Abramovich's 19-year ownership.”
- Sky Sports: seller/Fordstam background (via search) and Variety: Chelsea Soccer Club's $5.3 Billion Acquisition Completed ↗Tier 3 · media
2022-05-30 — “Confirms completion date of Monday, May 30, 2022 and consortium composition; separately, Sky Sports reporting identifies Chelsea's parent company as Fordstam Limited, Abramovich's holding vehicle (used here in place of the unverifiable 'Fomboro' name).”
- Chelsea FC official site: Chelsea FC plc financial results for year ended 30 June 2021 ↗Tier 1 · primary company
2021-12-01 — “"The group turnover figure increased to £434.9m from £407.4m the previous year driven by the Club's Champions League success." Loss of £153.4m for the year.”
2022-05-07 — “Reports agreement signed May 7, 2022; used for announcement_date only as could not be independently re-fetched (search snippet only), corroborated by multiple other outlets reporting the same May 7 signing date.”
- Chelsea FC — Club statement (terms agreed with Boehly/Clearlake group), 7 May 2022 ↗Tier 1 · primary company
2022-05-07 — “"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 ... 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."”
- Swiss Ramble — Chelsea 2020/21 accounts thread (Thread Reader) ↗Tier 4 · analyst transcription of accounts
2021-12-31 — “"#CFC only have £30m debt in the football club, down from £47m prior year, though it should be noted that the holding company, Fordstam Limited, does have £1.4 bln of debt in the form of an interest-free loan from the owner" ... "#CFC cash balance fell from £17m to £16m" ... "#CFC EBITDA ... improved from £27m to £33m" ... "Chelsea are owed £162m by other clubs, leaving £15m net receivables."”
2022-01-05 — “"Annual accounts for Fordstam Limited for the financial year ending June 30, 2021 confirm that the oligarch poured a further £19.9 million of interest-free loans into Chelsea FC plc's parent company last season" — the £1.5bn sits at Fordstam (parent), funded down into Chelsea FC plc as equity.”