Todd Boehly is set to face his first major issue as owner with one of Chelsea’s key players set to tell the club he is intent on leaving this summer.
It was confirmed in the early hours of Saturday morning that US business tycoon Boehly has agreed a £4.25billion deal to buy the Premier League club from Roman Abramovich.
Boehly and his consortium partners have battled past a host of suitors to strike a deal to buy Chelsea for the highest price ever paid for a sports club.
The 46-year-old and his partners must pass the Premier League’s owners’ and directors’ tests, before the UK Government will then sign off the sale by granting a new licence for the deal to be completed.
Issues, however, are already stacking up for Roman Abramovich’s successor, who has already identified the need to resolve the contract gripes of Reece James and Mason Mount as a priority.
Boehly has arrived too late to salvage the Chelsea careers of Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger, both of whom are set to depart on free transfers in the summer, while Cesar Azpilicueta is also determined to leave.
According to AS, the 32-year-old, who joined Chelsea back in 2013, has agreed a two-year deal, with an option to sign for a further 12 months, worth €13million-a-year.
Azpilicueta triggered a one-year extension in March after activating a performance-related clause.
The Spain international reached the required amount of appearances earlier to ensure his agreement, which was signed in December 2018, was automatically been extended until the summer of 2023.
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