Chelsea target Koundé and Gvardiol after government clears takeover

Chelsea’s new owners will hand Thomas Tuchel significant funds for signings after the government finally approved the £4.25bn takeover of the club.

A new era at Stamford Bridge can officially begin after Roman Abramovich agreed to the government’s terms for the sale to a consortium led by Todd Boehly, a part-owner of the LA Dodgers. Boehly’s group is determined to hit the ground running and intends to show Tuchel its ambition is to help Chelsea catch Manchester City and Liverpool at the top of the Premier League.

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Chelsea, who will prioritise signings in defence before addressing other areas, have been in limbo for three months. They were plunged into uncertainty when Abramovich was hit with sanctions after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Tuchel has warned that Chelsea, who have been operating under a restrictive licence, will be behind their rivals when the transfer window opens.

But Chelsea can now start to plan their business after the government announced it would issue a licence for the sale and said it was satisfied none of the proceeds would go to Abramovich or any other sanctioned individuals. The takeover was approved by the Premier League on Tuesday and the final step is for Portugal and the European Commission to give their approval because Abramovich, the 55-year-old Israeli-Russian oligarch, also has a Portuguese passport.

Chelsea experienced unprecedented success during Abramovich’s 19-year ownership and the approach is likely to be different under Boehly’s leadership. Tuchel has warned they must act decisively. The manager needs to repair his defence after losing Antonio Rüdiger to Real Madrid and Andreas