Roman Abramovich holding up Premier League approval of Chelsea sale?
The Premier League and the U.K. government are expected to finalize the sale of Chelsea F.C. to Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly, but multiple sources are reporting there could be a snag that is holding up the sale.
According to ESPN, a decision still has to be made on where the sale money goes. The money can't go to previous owner Roman Abramovich, who is currently sanctioned by the U.K. government because of his ties to Russian leader Vladimir Putin and is not permitted to receive any money by way of a sale.
There were reports earlier in the week that Abramovich himself has been making it hard for the deal to be finalized because he doesn't want to give written assurance that he'll forgo taking money for the sale, even though he previously said the sale money will go to charity.
Abramovich announced he will sell the soccer club in early March after considerable pressure from the Premier League to step away from the team. The league's insistence came as Abramovich was sanctioned by the government. He reportedly tried to sell many of his assets — including the soccer team — prior to being sanctioned so he could still make a profit.
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