THE agent of one of Chelsea’s first-team stars is wondering if they can get their client out of Stamford Bridge in the summer following the crippling sanctions placed on the club.
The West London outfit is close to being in financial ruins after owner Roman Abramovich had his assets frozen by the Government due to his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Chelsea were plunged into turmoil this weekend when owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government
Abramovich had his assets frozen due to his relationship with Vladimir Putin
And one Blues star’s agent was left wondering what the sanctions means for his summer plans
Staff and players were left gobsmacked by the bombshell sanctions – which currently prevent Abramovich from cashing in on the club and players being bought or sold.
Like the rest of the world, those on the Chelsea payroll found out about the Government’s crackdown on Abramovich and the club via news and social media outlets.
And prior to the full list of sanctions being unveiled, one Chelsea player’s agent asked The Athletic: “Can I still get him out of there in the summer?”
As it stands, the only players who are set to leave Stamford Bridge in the summer are those who will be out of contract at the end of the season.
And a close friend of a senior player reckons the Blues’ out-of-contract stars will be thrilled they didn’t commit their futures to the club.
They said: “I bet they are delighted they haven’t signed anything now. They can get away from this mess.”
Abramovich, 55, put Chelsea up for sale for a whopping £3BILLION to prevent having it seized by the Government.
But the banning of the Russian oligarch from selling or injecting more money into the club could cause the SW6 outfit to go bust in 17 days.
The Blues currently only have £16million in the bank and look unable to pay their whopping monthly wage bill of £28m.
And Chelsea staff are fearful for their futures, with a source telling The Athletic: “People are worried about their jobs.
“No one knows what’s going on.”
Club chiefs have asked the Government to ease sanctions to allow them to sell the club in a desperate bid to avoid going bankrupt.
And the Government will allow Abramovich to pass on ownership of the club, so long as he doesn’t see a single penny from the sale.
Digital Minister Chris Philip revealed: “As the licence conditions are written today the sale would not be allowed.
“If a buyer emerged then it would be open to that buyer or to the football club to approach the Government and asked for the licence conditions to be varied in a way that allowed that sale to take place.
“But to be clear, no proposal would be accepted which saw the proceeds of any sale ending up in an unrestricted bank account owned by Abramovich.
“He can’t benefit from the proceeds of any sale.”
It’s unclear what will happen to Chelsea if they do go into administration as a Premier League side have never fallen into it.
Premier League rules dictate that a club that falls into administration will be docked nine points.
In addition to the banning of signing or selling of players, Chelsea will no longer be able to sell tickets for their remaining fixtures or flog club merchandise.
The Blues’ travel budget has also been cut down to a paltry £20,000 per game – a reduction which is set to cause chaos.
And the sanctions also mean the west Londoners are currently prevented from pocketing any new prize and sponsorship money.
Chelsea will be back in action on Saturday afternoon, welcoming Newcastle to Stamford Bridge.
