'Honour of a lifetime' - Roman Abramovich prepares to hand over Chelsea

Outgoing owner Roman Abramovich says it has been an “honour of a lifetime” to be part of Chelsea as he prepares to hand over to Todd Boehly.

The Premier League club confirmed an agreement to sell to US magnate Boehly and expect the transaction to be completed on Monday for what will be a sports franchise record deal of £4.25 billion ($5.36bn).

It will bring to an end a 19-year reign at Stamford Bridge for the Russian-Israeli billionaire, during which he led the Blues to 21 trophies and changed the face of English football forever.

Abramovich put the club up for sale on March 2, amid Russia’s continued invasion of Ukraine.

The 55-year-old was then sanctioned by the UK Government on March 10, with Downing Street claiming to have proven his links to Vladimir Putin.

He has reflected fondly on his stay in west London and is confident Boehly and the Clearlake Capital consortium can take the club in the right direction.

“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,” Abramovich said in a statement on Chelsea’s website.

“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.

“The ownership of this club comes with great responsibility. Since I came to Chelsea nearly 20 years ago, I have witnessed first-hand what this club can achieve.

CHELSEA RATINGS: Edouard Mendy - 8. The 30-year-old had to be quick off the line to cut out danger. He was secure and showed off his shot-stopping qualities, especially in