Todd Boehly sent hostile message from supporters as Strasbourg deal nears

Chelsea takeover finally complete as Todd Boehly era begins

Chelsea are reportedly closing in on a deal to buy a stake in Ligue 1 club Strasbourg, but supporters of the French top-flight club are less than impressed and are already protesting. Le Racing narrowly avoided relegation last season, paving the way for Blues owner Todd Boehly to press ahead with his multi-club project.

The American billionaire and Clearlake Capital want to replicate the same sort of model enjoyed by Manchester City and are planning to start their portfolio of football clubs with Strasbourg alongside Chelsea.

The City Football Group currently boasts 13 teams across the globe who can be used to send players out to on loan for experience.

But partisan supporters of the French side are less than impressed with the news of the plans and Strasbourg Ultras have already been pictured on social media holding up a makeshift sign that reads “Boehly, not welcome”.

Chelsea are reportedly set to acquire a stake in the club, with the Guardian claiming that the deal is done with an official announcement to be made imminently.

Strasbourg are one of several clubs to have been linked with investment from the Stamford Bridge owners, with Bordeaux, Lyon and Sochaux other French sides believed to have been under consideration, as well as Portuguese club Portimonense.

Boehly was reportedly prepared to buy out all 11 stakeholders at Strasbourg but is now happy to make a partial purchase instead.

The French club’s president, Marc Keller, is known to have visited Chelsea’s Cobham training ground last month, alongside his advisors, where he met some of the West London outfit’s executives and French members of the squad.

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Todd Boehly is no stranger to spending money, as Chelsea supporters can testify. Since purchasing the capital club a little over 12 months ago he has splashed a staggering £553m on 17 new players and an effort to bring success to Stamford Bridge.

But his spend-happy approach did not pay off in the short-term, with the Blues finishing 12th in the Premier League – their lowest finishing position since 1994.

Chelsea must now offload players after they were left with an over-inflated squad and a number of established stars could be set to continue their careers in Saudi Arabia.

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