US financiers Mark Walter and Todd Boehly are in talks to sell their stakes in Chelsea Football Club to majority owner Clearlake Capital. Any deal would potentially ease long‑running tensions within the Premier League club’s ownership, which boughtishing the club for £2.5bn in 2022 after Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich was forced to sell amid sanctions.

Since acquiring Chelsea, Boehly and Walter’s side of the consortium has clashed with Clearlake over strategy. While Clearlake holds more than 60 % of the club, it shares joint governance with Boehly, who chairs the board. The revived negotiations come after years of on‑and‑off talks, and it is still uncertain whether a deal will be struck.

Walter has also been selling other high‑profile assets amid regulatory scrutiny; he recently agreed to sell the Los Angeles Lakers for $12.5bn. A stake sale would follow a flurry of deals for sports teams, whose valuations have surged as investors view franchises as an investable asset class.

Chelsea last year won the FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Europa Conference League, but finished 10th in the Premier League and missed European qualification. The club now appoints former Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso as manager.