The United Kingdom Government believe that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is willing to let the club ‘go under’ amid concerns that the sale could fall apart.
This comes after reports that the sale has been thrown into doubt due to the lack of assurances from Abramovich.
Speaking to the Telegraph, a source from inside Whitehall has stated that Abramovich could let the club go bankrupt.
Government officials have doubts about whether a special licence needed to approve the sale will be issued before a deadline at the end of the month as ministers are yet to receive assurances about the destination of the funds once the sale is complete.
There’s quite serious concern in Government that the deal may fall apart and that Roman Abramovich is ultimately willing to let Chelsea go under,” a senior Governmetn source stated.
“There’s alarm in Government about the gap between what Roman Abramovich has said he will do publicly and what he’s willing to commit to legally as part of the sale process
“There are pressing deadlines this week, and if there isn’t a breakthrough, we’re quite concerned that the sale of Chelsea could be timed out by certain sporting deadlines.”
However, the version of events presented by the UK Government has been disputed by sources close to Abramovich.
It remains to be seen as to what will happen in the final stages of the sale, with Chelsea’s current operating licence expiring at the end of the month and Todd Boehly’s consortium having done all they can to take over the club.
