Chelsea valuation doubles under BlueCo to £5bn as Boehly and Walter eye exit September 11, 2026 Todd Boehly and Mark Walter’s exit from Chelsea is set to see the business valued at around £5bn in another marked escalation of elite football club valuations. The valuation is double the £2.5bn price that saw the Boehly and Clearlake consortium beat off competition to buy the London club from Roman Abramovich in 2022. That [...]
Bath City tipped to be next Wrexham after non-league record £6m investment September 10, 2026 A consortium led by mobile gaming entrepreneur Andrew Stalbow has completed a takeover of Bath City FC in a £6m deal said to represent a record investment for non-league football. Stalbow, who helped create the Best Fiends and Angry Birds games franchises, heads an international group of investors which also includes executives from consultancy giant [...]
Inter Milan owner Oaktree keen to copy Chelsea BlueCo multi-club model September 10, 2026 Oaktree Capital Management wants to copy Chelsea owner BlueCo’s strategy by acquiring a sister club for Inter Milan. The global investment manager has allocated a budget of €25m-€40m (£20m-£35m) to buy a team from either the top division in Belgium or Portugal or the second tier in Spain, according to multiple Italian media reports. It [...]
Royal Antwerp case shows European sport ought to copy US interventionist approach September 10, 2026 Football fans digesting doom-laden commentary on the Royal Antwerp FC case on the legality of Uefa’s homegrown player regulations may be forgiven for recalling Brenda from Bristol’s reaction to the calling of general elections: “What, another one?” In recent years, legal challenges before European and national courts have sought to strike down various football regulations, [...]
Royal Antwerp: ‘New Bosman’ set to torch Uefa rules and spark mega class action September 10, 2026 European football faces an imminent legal bombshell likened to the Bosman Ruling that could scrap quotas for homegrown players and leave Uefa facing a hugely costly class action. The Royal Antwerp ruling has major implications for Uefa nations, potentially including England, who require clubs to have a minimum number of nationally-trained players, as well as [...]
Messi to buy 100 per cent of Valencia football team September 9, 2026 Lionel Messi is set to acquire 100 per cent of a Valencia football team as the football superstar looks to expand his portfolio in Spain. The former Barcelona player is reportedly close to agreeing a complete takeover of CD Eldense, a second-tier Spanish football team based in the autonomous community of Valencia’s Elda. Spanish outlet [...]
Nandy absence called out as MPs urge greater use of sport as soft power September 9, 2026 The government must do more to use sport and the wider culture sector to maximise global soft power, according to an influential MP. Dame Caroline Dinenage, chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, has criticised the government for staging its Soft Power Council only four times, with the department’s Secretary of State Lisa [...]
Bournemouth in spotlight after female fan complains to Kick It Out about searches September 9, 2026 Bournemouth are ready to review their stewarding arrangements after a female matchgoer made a complaint to anti-discrimination group Kick It Out about being searched by a male member of staff. The issue is thought to stem from the new perimeter fencing and entry gates installed around the Vitality Stadium as part of Bournemouth’s £90m expansion, [...]
Manchester United agree club record sleeve sponsorship with fintech unicorn SumUp September 8, 2026 Manchester United have filled their sleeve sponsor vacancy by signing a club record multi-year deal worth more than £20m a year with fintech unicorn SumUp. The London-based provider of mobile payment solutions will appear on the sleeve of matchday shirts worn by United’s men’s, women’s and youth teams. The financial terms are understood to represent [...]
Liverpool in record £300m deal as Turkish Airlines replaces Standard Chartered September 8, 2026 Liverpool will replace Standard Chartered as their front-of-shirt partner next season after agreeing a record £300m deal with Turkish Airlines. The flagbearer, already a sponsor of the Uefa Champions League, will pay £60m per season as part of a five-year deal beginning in 2027 in what is being reported as the biggest front-of-shirt deal in [...]