Yesterday, amid reports of Roman Abramovich changing the terms of the deal and before Chelsea confirmed an agreement of sale, the Russian owner of the club denied any change of heart over selling.

Abramovich insisted his position over the sale of Chelsea FC is unchanged and has denied asking for any loan to be repaid to him.

Reports have suggested that Russian-Israeli billionaire Abramovich, who was sanctioned by the UK Government on March 10 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, could insist on his £1.5billion loan to Chelsea being repaid.

In a statement posted on the Chelsea website, a spokesperson for the club owner, said: “Firstly, Mr Abramovich’s intentions in relation to gifting the proceeds from the Chelsea sale to charity have not changed.

“Since the initial announcement, Mr Abramovich’s team has identified senior representatives from UN bodies and large global charitable organizations who have been tasked with forming a Foundation and setting out a plan for its activities.

“The lead independent expert has had conversations with Government representatives presenting the structure and initial plans.

“Mr Abramovich has not been involved in this work and it has been managed independently by experts with years of experience working in humanitarian organisations.”

Here, the PA news agency looks at the state of play at Stamford Bridge, including how the deal was agreed, what happens next and what might occur if the deal hits any problems before being completed.

Timeline of the Boehly bid:

It hasn’t been smooth or quick to get this sale process done, as you might expect considering the purchase is worth well over £4,000,000,000.

After the club was put up for sale by Abramovich in March, it wasn’t long before a whole pile of interested parties came forward, one of which was of course from Boehly and his group. Here’s a timeline of what they’ve had to go through since being shortlisted

Where do we begin with all this backstory, then? Let’s go for exactly who the soon-to-be new owner is first, for those who haven’t followed either his sporting businesses in America or the entire chain of events at Stamford Bridge.

A consortium led by the American businessman and investor Todd Boehly has been named as the preferred bidder for the club, which has been put up for sale by Roman Abramovich after the Russian was sanctioned following his country’s invasion of Ukraine. On Friday night/Saturday morning, it emerged that a deal has been signed by the relevant parties and he’s now set to complete the takeover across the coming weeks.

He has teamed up with fellow Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Mark Walters, British businessman Jonathan Goldstein, Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss and US investment firm Clearlake Capital. The group appears set to beat out three other shortlisted bidders, plus a late offer from Ineos owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

Owner of Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise the Dodgers, Boehly graduated from William & Mary university in 1996 and also studied at the London School of Economics.

Here’s everything you need to know about Dodgers, LA Sparks, LA Lakers and DraftKings owner Boehly:

Chelsea have confirmed Todd Boehly’s consortium has agreed terms to buy the Stamford Bridge club from Roman Abramovich in a £4.25billion deal.

Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Boehly has won the race to buy the Blues amid the most public major sports franchise takeover in history.

Boehly, Clearlake Capital, Mark Walter and Hansjorg Wyss must now wait for Premier League and UK Government approval before rubber-stamping the takeover.

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

“Of the total investment being made, £2.5billion 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 £1.75billion in further investment for the benefit of the club.”

For the full report on the club statement, see here: