sport news Q&A: Todd Boehly's Chelsea takeover is almost complete, so what happens next? trends now

Todd Boehly's consortium has finally received approval from both the UK Government and the Premier League to purchase Chelsea, in the latest development of the ongoing saga surrounding the sale of the west London team.

On Tuesday night the Premier League confirmed they had given the green light for the LA Dodgers stakeholder to ratify his takeover from the sanctioned Roman Abramovich, who has owned the club for 19 years.

Then, on Wednesday morning, Government officials confirmed that they are satisfied 'that the full proceeds of the sale will not benefit Roman Abramovich or any other sanctioned individual.'

A statement from Whitehall read: 'Late last night the UK Government reached a position where we could issue a licence that permits the sale of Chelsea Football Club.

'Following the sanctioning of Roman Abramovich, the Government has worked hard to ensure Chelsea Football Club has been able to continue to play football. But we have always been clear that the long-term future of the club could only be secured under a new owner.

'Following extensive work, we are now satisfied that the full proceeds of the sale will not benefit Roman Abramovich or any other sanctioned individual. We will now begin the process of ensuring the proceeds of the sale are used for humanitarian causes in Ukraine, supporting victims of the war.

'The steps today will secure the future of this important cultural asset and protect fans and the wider football community. We have been in discussions with relevant international partners for necessary licences required and we thank them for all their cooperation.'

Boehly saw off competition from consortiums fronted by Stephen Pagliuca and Sir Martin Broughton and even a late £4.25bn bid from Britain's richest man Sir Jim Ratcliffe. 

A total of £2.5billion will 'be applied to purchase the shares in the Club and such proceeds will be deposited into a frozen UK bank account with the intention to donate 100 per cent to charitable causes as confirmed by Roman Abramovich'.

'The other £1.75billion will be spent on 'further investment for the benefit of the Club', such as on Stamford Bridge, the academy, the Chelsea women's team and the continued funding of the Chelsea foundation.' 

So, with the league and Whitehall officials giving the green light, what happens now? 

Here, Sportsmail details the remaining hurdles that still need to be cleared and the impact on Chelsea's future.

What still needs to be done to end the Abramovich era? 

Crucially for Chelsea fans, it's almost there. 

Getting the green light from the Premier League and the Government was a big step forward and now the process will be to draw up the sale licence for Abramovich to deal to Boehly and his consortium.

From there, the takeover will need to received approval from European Union officials, the owners-in-waiting will need to cross the t's and dot the i's when signing the final documents and then they will have the keys.

It's been a long and arduous process, a takeover like no other in the Premier League, but the end is in sight now.  

How long will that take? 

How long is a piece of string? 

Naturally, with this level of bureaucracy it's always difficult to say exactly but this takeover is not into the final stages and confirmation once and for all is expected imminently.

It is difficult to imagine this dragging on beyond the end of the week. 

What does today's announcement allow them to do? 

It allows Chelsea to start looking to an future without the red tape of sanctions. 

During this process everything has been shut down. No club shop, no ability to sell tickets, it's just been a roadblock to the end of the season.

Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK Government on March 10, with Downing Street claiming to have proven his links to Russia president Vladimir Putin.

Chelsea were put under a strict Government operating licence, with all of Abramovich's other UK assets frozen.

Now, with the season drawing to a close and rivals beginning to flex their financial muscles in the transfer market - look at Manchester City snaring Erling Haaland for £51m from Borussia Dortmund - Chelsea know that shortly all that red tape will be ripped away.

Once Boehly's takeover is complete the Blues will be able to return to business as usual - and there will be no time to lose on reconfiguring the playing squad. 

Normality is on the horizon, providing any late hiccups. 

Could Portugal still offer a hiccup? 

The key to this deal now is getting EU and Portuguese approval - Abramovich holds citizenship there and so sanctions stand against him there also. 

Minister for Foreign Affairs João Gomes Cravinho confirmed, via Portugal Resident, that 'obviously we are in dialogue with the British government; we are in dialogue with the European Commission... we will be intransigent in the application of our legal obligations.'

Cravinho, Portugal’s head of diplomacy, added that 'in relation to Chelsea, naturally there is an absolutely fundamental point: Portugal applies sanctions that were decreed by the European Union.'

Discussions between Whitehall officials and their counterparts in Brussels and in Portugal have been fraught and have frustrated this process to this point. 

But approval is now believed to be a formality for Boehly to seal the deal this week.

What's the final price? 

£4.25billion.

It will be £2.5bn initially with various guarantees involved in the deal, as there often is in large scale transactions such as this one. 

What's next (on the pitch)? 

Couple of things - a big splash in the transfer market and contract renewals. 

Let's start with manager Thomas Tuchel reportedly standing in line to receive £200million to spend on new players this summer, once the deal is signed, sealed and delivered. 

The new American ownership are no doubt keen to make a clear statement of their bold plan to challenge Manchester City and Liverpool for titles in the years ahead by making a splash in the summer transfer market.

The Telegraph have detailed that £200m - some of which will be funded from player sales - will be the war chest afforded to Tuchel, who delivered a Champions League to the Blues last season.

Defence is the top priority, with both Antonio Rudiger, off to Real Madrid, and Andreas Christensen, off to Barcelona, leaving the club on free transfers and the future of captain Cesar Azpilicueta still uncertain. 

Sevilla's Jules Kounde is believed to be the first to walk through the Stamford Bridge door, having been a long-term target for Chelsea. 

The Telegraph also reported that a shock move for Manchester City's Raheem Sterling could be on the cards with the England international entering the final year of his contract. 

Talking of contracts winding down, expect the futures of Mason Mount and Reece James, both players to emerge from the club's academy in recent years to be top of the agenda. 

Mount picked up 11 goals and 10 assists in the Premier League this season and was the only Chelsea player to reach double figures for either. 

The homegrown talent won a second Player of the Year award (in as many seasons) and yet he remains one of the lowest paid players at the club with a weekly wage of £80,000 - something the I newspaper say will double once Boehly's takeover goes through. 

However, that is set to change if Chelsea's planned takeover goes through with The I reporting that Mount's wages will more than double if the club is bought successfully.

As for James, he has flourished since breaking into the first team and interest in him comes as no surprise, hence the need to get him on fresh terms.  

He is already under contract through to 2025 but many reports have detailed plans for a contract extension of one or two years, on a bumper new deal.  

Chelsea finished third in the Premier League this season but Boehly's bold plan to freshen up the squad and retain the biggest stars should be music to the ears of supporters. 

Will Marina Granovskaia and Bruce Buck stick around? 

Potentially.

Both have played such key roles during the Abramovich era and Boehly has shown an apparent willingness to keep them involved, even if it is just in the interim. 

Buck and Granovskaia are reportedly set for major windfalls following the conclusion of this protracted takeover deal.  

Chelsea chairman Buck reportedly stands to make £30m from the club's £4.25bn sale to Boehly, while director Granovskaia is said to be collecting £20m, according to the Times.

The Government have been desperate to ensure that Abramovich would not personally benefit from the takeover in any way, and Whitehall chiefs are said to be satisfied the proceeds will not go to the Russian.

But two of Chelsea's key board members, who have been helping to push through the sale, will reportedly profit hugely from it now it has gone through.

Their remuneration from this sale doesn't necessarily mean their time at the club is up, though. A watch this space situation surrounding Buck and Granovskaia. 

Where's the money from the sale going? 

As we say, definitely not to Abramovich, given the sanctions levelled against him.

It has been the Government's

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