Todd Boehly will be hoping for Tottenham to do Chelsea a favour this weekend. Chelsea could be guaranteed a £24 million payout by the end of this week if they are helped out by cross-city rivals Tottenham.
The Blues have been widely tipped to sell players in the summer to ensure their compliance with Premier League financial rules after spending hundreds of millions on transfers over the last few years. Chelsea could be about to get a deal done before the window even opens, with Lewis Hall edging closer to sealing a permanent move to Newcastle.
The 19-year-old joined the Magpies on a temporary basis last year but has struggled to hold down a place in the side, having made just 11 league appearances this term. The deal that saw Hall join Newcastle for the season included an obligation to buy at the end of his loan spell.
However, that clause will only become active if the Tyneside club finish 15th or higher in the Premier League table. Newcastle could all but guarantee a finish outside the division’s bottom five by getting a result in their next match against Tottenham.
Doing so would mean that Chelsea would be owed the £24 million fee because the obligation to buy clause would automatically be activated. The Blues are thought to have already budgeted for the sale, which suggests they will be cheering on Newcastle to avoid defeat against Spurs this weekend.
However, it remains to be seen if the money raised will go a long way to easing any potential concerns over profit and sustainability rules. The Premier League has been coming down hard on teams who have fallen foul of the rules, with Everton and Nottingham Forest both being docked points.
Chelsea have denied that they will breach profit and sustainability rules, insisting in their statement on the accounts that they are fully expecting to comply. However, former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness recently warned that a penalty could be inevitable unless Chelsea can pull off some ‘very clever engineering’ in the transfer market.
Speaking on the Inside Track podcast, Wyness said: “I think this time next year we’re going to be sitting here discussing the Chelsea rule breach. I don’t think the Premier League have left themselves anywhere else to go but a serious points deduction.
“I think Chelsea could have had the biggest breach so far unless there is some very clever engineering done in the transfer market, but I think it will be very hard to do. Listen, don’t underestimate Todd Boehly and his ability and connections with Saudi Arabia.
“There are a lot of connections between Saudi and his investment group to try and pull something out of the fire, but I feel there is no way out of this one for Chelsea. This time next year, we’ll be talking about unhappy Chelsea fans.”