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Boehly, Walter Sell Chelsea Stakes to Clearlake Capital
Confirmed
In Short: Todd Boehly and Mark Walter, co-owners of Chelsea since 2022, have sold their stakes in the club to majority owner Clearlake Capital, bringing an end to their four-year tenure.
Todd Boehly and Mark Walter, co-owners of Chelsea since 2022, have sold their stakes in the club to majority owner Clearlake Capital, effective as of Wednesday, according to reports from the BBC and India Today.
The sale comes after talks within Chelsea's ownership group were initiated due to a rift that became apparent in 2024, leading both sides to explore buying each other out, according to multiple sources.
Walter, who last month sold the Los Angeles Lakers for a record $12.5 billion, is also facing federal investigations into his business empire, while Boehly will leave his role as chairman.
With this transaction, Clearlake, led by Behdad Eghbali and Jose E., now holds full control of the club, with Boehly and Walter each having previously owned 12.8% of the shares, alongside Clearlake's 61.5% stake.
The club's highest Premier League finish under the new ownership has been fourth, achieved in the 2024-25 season, with Chelsea also winning the Uefa Conference League and the Fifa Club World Cup that year.
What's confirmed
- Boehly, who is a co-owner of baseball franchise the Los Angeles Dodgers, said it had been an "honour" to serve as Chelsea chairman.
What's still developing
- BBC Sport reported in August that Boehly and Walter were exploring selling their stakes.
- Separately, US federal prosecutors and the Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating companies in Walter's business empire.
- American Boehly will leave his role as chairman, a position he has held since 2022, when the consortium bought the club for £2.3bn from Roman Abramovich, who was sanctioned by the UK government in March 2022 over alleged links to Russian president Vladimir Putin - something he has denied.
- "I would like to thank the many who helped secure a bright future for the club, including the English Premier League, the coaches and players, the talented leadership and staff at Chelsea, and the legions of dedicated fans," he added.
- Transaction status: Reported as close to agreement; unsigned and unannounced by the club or Clearlake as at the date of this report Series context: Companion to Valuing Chelsea FC in 2026 (18 August 2026), Related parties: inside the Walter probe (17 August 2026), Covenant architecture and technical default risk on the Ares facilities (20 August 2026), and Guggenheim and Chelsea FC: ultimate ownership, capital structure and credit exposure (29 August 2026).
- A spokesperson for Walter confirmed an agreement is close and said the transaction values his stake at a premium to his initial investment.
- Federal prosecutors in Manhattan and the SEC are examining whether Delaware Life and Clear Spring Life, insurers he controls, failed to disclose that private credit holdings backed other Walter-controlled ventures.
- The latest transactions have given Clearlake full control of the club, although Chelsea said there will be no changes to its day-to-day operations, leadership or strategy.