Chelsea Football Club is reportedly in discussions with the Premier League to negotiate a financial settlement aimed at avoiding a potential points deduction.
These talks are not related to the league’s profit and sustainability regulations for the 2023-24 season, which confirmed no violations among clubs. Instead, the focus is on historical financial issues from Roman Abramovich’s ownership.
The current owners flagged these concerns after acquiring the club in May 2022.
According to The Times, the investigation centers on allegations of undisclosed payments connected to past transfers, including Willian and Samuel Eto’o from Anzhi Makhachkala in 2013, as well as Eden Hazard’s move from Lille in 2012.
Such undisclosed payments typically carry serious repercussions, such as heavy fines or points deductions.
However, Chelsea’s current owners, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, maintain that any potential breaches occurred before their tenure.
They argue that sporting penalties would be unfair since they voluntarily disclosed these irregularities during the due diligence process of their takeover.
To address these issues, Chelsea’s management is pushing for a compromise, proposing a financial settlement instead of a points deduction.
Boehly and Clearlake reportedly withheld £150 million from their £2.5 billion purchase deal to cover any potential liabilities tied to these allegations.
The club is hopeful of resolving the matter by March 2025.
This would mirror their approach with UEFA in July 2023, where Chelsea agreed to pay an £8.6 million fine to settle a similar case.
Under Premier League regulations, a “sanction agreement” can be reached between a club and the league, subject to Judicial Panel approval.
While such agreements may include points deductions, Chelsea appears determined to avoid this outcome and instead finalize a financial penalty.
Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters recently referred to the case as “historic” and indicated that the investigation was nearing completion.
The situation has sparked controversy among rival clubs.
For example, both Everton and Nottingham Forest faced points deductions for financial rule breaches.
Forest, in particular, narrowly avoided relegation last season and is now competing with Chelsea for European qualification.
Any leniency shown to Chelsea could draw criticism from these clubs and others.
Chelsea remains optimistic that the matter will be settled soon, allowing the club to move on from its past ownership issues.
The outcome of these negotiations could have significant implications for how financial disputes are handled in the Premier League going forward.
