Chelsea‘s majority shareholder Clearlake Capital are not interested in selling their stake amid suggestions of a power battle at the club, sources told ESPN.
A report by Bloomberg on Friday claimed that the Blues’ most prominent shareholders are exploring options to buy each other out but sources close to the ownership have told ESPN that Clearlake are solely focused on providing long-term stability at Stamford Bridge.
Clearlake own 61.54% of Chelsea with the remaining 38.46% split between businessmen Todd Boehly, Mark Walter and Hansjorg Wyss.
Sources told ESPN that while relations between Boehly and Clearlake co-founder Behdad Eghbali have cooled in recent times, their relationship remains professional.
Sources suggested that no direct talks between any individual investor and Clearlake have taken place at time of writing but Clearlake are open to increasing their stake should the situation arise.
Boehly, Eghbali and Clearlake co-founder Jose E Feliciano have sign-off on all major decisions affecting the club.
The consortium completed their takeover in May 2022 after Chelsea were put up for sale following previous owner Roman Abramovich’s sanctioning by the United Kingdom government for alleged ties to Russia President Vladimir Putin.
Boehly assumed a prominent role in the first summer following the change of ownership, operating as acting sporting director before the club appointed an executive team to lead Chelsea forward.