BREAKING: Roman Abramovich releases final Chelsea statement with Todd Boehly takeover agreed

Roman Abramovich has called his 19 years as Chelsea owner the "honour of a lifetime" and is confident the club is being left in the right hands with the Todd Boehly-led consortium set to complete their takeover of the Blues on Monday.

Abramovich brought Chelsea in the summer of 2003 and transformed the club from a cash-strapped, Premier League top-four hopeful to a European juggernaut. Top-flight titles were won, domestic trophies were lifted, and two Champions Leagues were claimed during the Russian's ownership.

Yet it wasn't just the men's side that enjoyed success. Abramovich hired Emma Hayes and ensured she had the investment required to turn the women's team into the dominant force in English football. And the club's academy – based at the Cobham training centre that was built under Abramovich's watch – has proved itself one of the world's best.

: Todd Boehly consortium reaches definitive agreement on Chelsea takeover

Abramovich had previously fielded offers to buy Chelsea – one of which was from Boehly in 2019 – but had never come close to selling the club. But Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February started a domino effect that led to the 55-year-old putting the Blues up for sale on March 2.

Eight days later, Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government, which issued Chelsea a special licence to continue operating day-to-day. That was due to expire on May 31 – and so began a race against time for the takeover of Chelsea to be completed.

The sale of the club was handled by the U.S. merchant bank The Raine Group, which whittled down a number of potential bidders to a four-consortium strong shortlist. The Boehly bid was then taken forward and in a statement released by Chelsea this morning, it was confirmed a