Roman Abramovich has released a farewell statement after a final agreement was reached to sell the club to the consortium led by Todd Boehly.
Earlier this year, the Russian oligarch was stripped of his ownership of the west club following ’s invasion of .
This week, it was announced that American billionaire Boehly will be taking over the club with immediate effect.
Abramovich, who was at Chelsea for nearly 20 years and oversaw huge success, says it’s been an honour to own the Blues.
He said: ‘It has been nearly three months since I announced my intention to sell Chelsea FC. During this time, the team have worked hard to find the right custodian for Chelsea FC that would be best positioned to successfully lead the Club into its next chapter.
‘The ownership of this Club comes with great responsibility. Since I came to Chelsea nearly twenty years ago, I have witnessed first-hand what this Club can achieve.
‘My goal has been to ensure that the next owner has a mindset that will enable success for the Men’s and Women’s team, as well as the will and drive to continue developing other key aspects of the Club, such as the Academy and the vital work of Chelsea Foundation.
‘I am pleased this search has now come to a successful conclusion. As I hand over Chelsea to its new custodians, I would like to wish them the best of success, both on and off the pitch.
‘It has been an honour of a lifetime to be a part of this Club – I would like to thank all the Club’s past and current players, staff, and of course fans for these incredible years.
‘I am proud that as a result of our joint successes, millions of people will now benefit from the new charitable foundation which is being established. This is the legacy which we have created together. Thank you.’
Earlier on Saturday, a statement was released by Chelsea confirming that a ‘final and definitive’ agreement had been reached with the Boehly-led consortium, while completion of the deal is expected on Monday.
The statement read: ‘Chelsea Club can confirm that a final and definitive agreement was entered into last night to sell the Club to the Todd Boehly/Clearlake Capital consortium.
‘It is expected that the transaction will be completed on Monday. The Club will update further at that time.’
, .
,  and .
