The Premier League have sought assurances that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) was not part of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital’s takeover of Chelsea, The Telegraph reports.
The question was raised during the takeover in May 2022, over a year before Chelsea's business with PIF-backed Saudi clubs drew concerns.
Some Premier League rivals have expressed private concern over sudden interest in several Chelsea players from the Saudi Pro League clubs at the very moment when the Blues needed to trim their bloated squad.
However, the Premier League conducted a thorough check of the arrangement way before those concerns emerged. The league was left entirely satisfied that there was no conflict of interest.
Boehly and Clearlake confirmed that PIF formed 'no part' of the ownership structure and 'would not, and could not' be an investor in the future.
The Blues are selling Hakim Ziyech, Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy to Saudi clubs, while N'Golo Kante has already joined Al Ittihad as a free agent - although Chelsea wanted to keep him.
