Clearlake Capital Takes Full Control of Chelsea Football Club as Boehly and Walter Sell Their Stakes

Chelsea Football Club has confirmed that Clearlake Capital, its majority owner since 2022, has acquired the remaining stakes in the club, taking full control of one of the most storied names in English football. Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter is selling his minority stake in Chelsea to Clearlake, the club said in a statement on Wednesday night. Clearlake, which already held a 61.5% stake in the club, is also acquiring the stake of Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly, giving it full control of the club.

Boehly, who is a co-owner of the Dodgers, and Walter each held about 12.8% of the club. 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. Boehly is departing as the club's chairman. The Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss will remain an important stakeholder and partner in the ownership group, the club's statement said.

Clearlake moves to full control

Behdad Eghbali and José Feliciano, co-founders of Clearlake Capital, singled out Boehly in a statement. "Todd has been an important partner throughout our ownership of Chelsea, and we thank him for his time and contribution as Chairman," they said. "He will always be a part of the Chelsea story and family. Clearlake has served as Chelsea's majority owner since 2022, and as we move to full control our 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," they added.

Chelsea said there will be no changes to the day-to-day operations, leadership or strategy at the club. Boehly, in a statement, said: "It has been an honour to serve as Chairman of Chelsea Football Club. 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 that he had 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.

Context of the transaction

The sale comes more than a month after the announcement that Walter had agreed to sell his controlling ownership stake in the Los Angeles Lakers to Joshua Kushner and Bob Iger. The Lakers deal focused renewed attention on dual federal criminal and Securities and Exchange Commission investigations into whether roughly $21 billion in investments by two insurers controlled by Walter — Delaware Life Insurance and Clear Spring Life and Annuity — were properly disclosed as affiliated or related-party transactions.

Walter's holding company, TWG Global, said in a statement on 26 August 2026: "Despite what has been reported, there has been no fraud" at that company and its subsidiaries. "TWG is committed to working with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission to resolve their inquiries," the company said.

Key terms of the transaction

• Clearlake Capital already held a 61.5% stake in Chelsea before the transaction and becomes the club's sole controlling owner.
• Todd Boehly and Mark Walter each held about 12.8% of the club and are selling their stakes to Clearlake.
• The two sellers will receive a combined £950 million (about $1.27 billion), according to a Financial Times report cited by CNBC.
• The deal values Chelsea Football Club at £5 billion.
• Todd Boehly is stepping down as chairman of the club.
• Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss will remain an important stakeholder and partner in the ownership group.
• Chelsea stated there will be no changes to day-to-day operations, leadership or strategy at the club.

The transaction consolidates ownership of Chelsea under Clearlake Capital, which has been the club's majority owner since 2022, and marks the end of Todd Boehly's tenure as chairman of the club.

Company details

Chelsea Football Club is an English professional football club based in London, competing in the English Premier League. The club's official website: chelseafc.com.

Source: CNBC; Financial Times (financial terms of the deal, as cited by CNBC).