Former Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne has been recruited to push through Todd Boehly’s bid to buy Chelsea, the PA news agency understands.
The former Conservative MP for Totton and former Evening Standard publisher’s involvement in the Boehly consortium adds an additional edge to the LA Dodgers co-owner’s bid to buy the Blues.
London firm Robey Warshaw, in which Osborne works as a partner, is understood to have joined Boehly’s bid in an advisory capacity.
Establishment influence at the level of former top government official Osborne’s involvement only adds another potent string to Boehly’s bow in an already strong bid for Chelsea.
Chelsea fan Osborne attended the Blues’ 2012 Champions League final triumph over Bayern Munich.
New York merchant bank Raine Group is set to select a preferred bidder next week in the race to buy Chelsea from Roman Abramovich.
Todd Boehly has teamed up with Swiss tycoon Hansjorg Wyss and British businessman Jonathan Goldstein, for one of the consortium’s three remaining bids to buy Chelsea.
Boehly had an official bid for Chelsea rejected in 2019, and this time he is determined to make his bid a success.
The Ricketts family-led consortium withdrew its bid for Chelsea on Friday, in a dramatic turn of events that narrowed the field in the race to take over the Stamford Bridge club.
It was understood that Chicago Cubs owners Tom and Laura Ricketts and partners Ken Griffin and Dan Gilbert could not finalize the composition of their joint venture offer for the Blues.
The Ricketts’ withdrawal has left Boehly, Sir Martin Broughton and Boston Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca as the three remaining consortium leaders in the race to buy Chelsea.
The eventual preferred bidder must pass the Premier League’s owners and directors tests, before the Government must grant a new license to allow the sale to proceed.
Russian-Israeli billionaire Roman Abramovich put Chelsea up for sale on March 2, amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The UK government then sanctioned the 55-year-old on March 10, with Downing Street claiming to have proven his links to Vladimir Putin.
Chelsea have been granted a special government license to continue operating, albeit under strict terms.
Abramovich cannot benefit from the sale of Chelsea, but had already promised to write off the club’s £1.5bn debt.
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