Roman Abramovich releases farewell statement to Chelsea fans ahead of takeover

Abramovich thanked supporters in a statement

Outgoing Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has bid farewell to the Blues in a statement posted to the club's website ahead of the completion of Todd Boehly's takeover. Chelsea confirmed in a statement on Saturday that the deal - worth £4.25bn to the consortium, led by Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly and backed by Clearlake Capital - would officially go through on Monday. https://twitter.com/FootballJOE/status/1530477358536347649 Abramovich, who is selling the club after 19 years of ownership, issued a statement to supporters for one last time, saying it had been an "honour of a lifetime" to own the club. He was sanctioned by the UK government as a result of his close ties to Russian president Vladimir Putin. https://twitter.com/ChelseaFC/status/1530504928745111557 "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," he said. "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.

'It has been an honour of a lifetime to be a part of this Club'

He added: "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." Related links:

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