Roman Abramovich’s position over the sale of Chelsea remains ‘unchanged’

Roman Abramovich has insisted his position over the sale of Chelsea is unchanged and has denied asking for any loan to be repaid to him.

Reports have suggested that Russian-Israeli billionaire Abramovich, who was sanctioned by the UK Government on March 10 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, could insist on his £1.5billion loan to Chelsea being repaid.

Such a move could jeopardise the entire sale process of the Premier League club, of which a consortium spearheaded by Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly has been afforded preferred bidder status.

In a statement posted on the Chelsea website, a spokesperson for the club owner, said: “Firstly, Mr Abramovich’s intentions in relation to gifting the proceeds from the Chelsea sale to charity have not changed.

“Since the initial announcement, Mr Abramovich’s team has identified senior representatives from UN bodies and large global charitable organizations who have been tasked with forming a Foundation and setting out a plan for its activities.

“The lead independent expert has had conversations with Government representatives presenting the structure and initial plans.

“Mr Abramovich has not been involved in this work and it has been managed independently by experts with years of experience working in humanitarian organizations.

Mr Abramovich’s intentions in relation to gifting the proceeds from the Chelsea sale to charity have not changed- Roman Abramovich spokesperson

“Secondly, Mr Abramovich has not asked for any loan to be repaid to him – such suggestions are entirely false – as are suggestions that Mr Abramovich increased the price of the club last minute.

“As part of Mr Abramovich’s objective to find a good custodian for Chelsea FC, he has however encouraged each