Clearlake Capital has taken full control of Chelsea Football Club after acquiring the minority stakes held by Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter and chairman Todd Boehly, the club announced in a statement on Wednesday night.
Clearlake, which already held a 61.5% stake in the club, is also acquiring the stake of Boehly, giving it full control of the storied club, according to Chelsea. Walter and Boehly each held about 12.8% of the club. Boehly is departing as the club’s chairman.
The Financial Times reported that the two men will receive a combined £950 million, or $1.27 billion, for their stakes in the deal, which values Chelsea at £5 billion. Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss will remain an important stakeholder and partner in the ownership group, the club’s statement said.
Behdad Eghbali and José Feliciano, co-founders of Clearlake Capital, said Todd Boehly has been an important partner throughout their ownership of Chelsea, and they thank him for his time and contribution as chairman. He will always be a part of the Chelsea story and family, they said. Clearlake has served as Chelsea’s majority owner since 2022, and as the firm moves to full control its focus is to continue investing in the club’s infrastructure, sporting performance, player development and delivering long-term success for Chelsea and the club’s supporters.
Chelsea said there will be no changes to the day-to-day operations, leadership or strategy at the club.
Boehly, who is a co-owner of the Dodgers, said in a statement it has been an honour to serve as chairman of Chelsea Football Club. He would like to thank the coaches and players, the talented leadership and staff at Chelsea, and the legions of dedicated fans. He has valued his partnership with Clearlake and the wider ownership group, and the collective decisions and investment made to support the immediate and long-term success of the club, he said.