Todd Boehly's stunning net worth amid huge Chelsea takeover claims and Clearlake Capital stance
Todd Boehly will have to think very carefully regarding his shares and future with Chelsea Football Club. While his options are now extremely clear, walking away could undo two years of substantial growth to his net worth.
The American billionaire is the leader of BlueCo., the group that took over from Roman Abramovich in 2022 after the Russian was forced to sell the club amid allegations of links to Russian president Vladimir Putin in the wake of his country's invasion of Ukraine. But now a cultural divide within the group over how best to run the club threatens the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.
Boehly - club chairman and 13 percent share owner - has taken a step back from duties but Clearlake Capital - owned by Behdad Eghbali and Jose E Feliciano with 61 percent majority ownership in the club - believe this is not the correct approach. football.london understands that while their working relationship remains professional, there is interest from both sides in buying the other party out.
Ultimately, it is understood that Clearlake are adamant they will not be selling their stake, leaving Boehly with the options of either making peace with current circumstances or selling his shares.
But doing so could take a considerable swipe at his own stunning net worth. That figure now stands at $8.5billion (£6.4bn), say Forbes as of September 8, 2024, which is almost double the $4.5billion (£3.4bn) it stood at in the year BlueCo. completed their Chelsea takeover. It makes him the 319th richest person on the planet as things stand.
Net worth is a calculation of the value of a person's total assets, and Boehly does possess others of course. He co-founded holding company Eldridge in 2015, and also holds minority stakes in basketball franchise the Los Angeles Lakers and baseball team the Los Angeles Dodgers. So in selling his Blues shares, the 50-year-old would be leaving behind a club he has invested so heavily in.
This rapid growth of his net worth has happened despite such a tumultuous time for Chelsea both on and off the field. BlueCo. have gone through five different managers before landing on Enzo Maresca, spending well over £1billion on players and subsequently having to deal with financial fair play regulations.
The club's last accounts covering the 2022/23 season revealed they had generated £512m worth of revenue - six percent more than the previous campaign. But operating losses stood at a record £249m, with the wage bill increasing by almost 20 percent to £404m.