'Honour of a lifetime' - Roman Abramovich prepares to hand over Chelsea

New owner Todd Boehly will take charge on Monday

Roman Abramovich will hand over control of Chelsea on Monday. AP

Outgoing owner Roman Abramovich says it has been an “honour of a lifetime” to be part of Chelsea as he prepares to hand over to Todd Boehly.

The Premier League club confirmed an agreement to sell to US magnate Boehly and expect the transaction to be completed on Monday for what will be a sports franchise record deal of £4.25 billion ($5.36bn).

It will bring to an end a 19-year reign at Stamford Bridge for the Russian-Israeli billionaire, during which he led the Blues to 21 trophies and changed the face of English football forever.

Abramovich put the club up for sale on March 2, amid Russia’s continued invasion of Ukraine.

The 55-year-old was then sanctioned by the UK Government on March 10, with Downing Street claiming to have proven his links to Vladimir Putin.

He has reflected fondly on his stay in west London and is confident Boehly and the Clearlake Capital consortium can take the club in the right direction.

“It has been an honour of a lifetime to be a part of this club – I would like to thank all the club’s past and current players, staff, and of course fans for these incredible years,” Abramovich said in a statement on Chelsea’s website.

“It has been nearly three months since I announced my intention to sell Chelsea FC. During this time, the team have worked hard to find the right custodian for Chelsea FC that would be best positioned to successfully lead the club into its next chapter.

“The ownership of this club comes with great responsibility. Since I came to Chelsea nearly 20 years ago, I have witnessed first-hand what this club can achieve.

Chelsea v Liverpool FA Cup final ratings

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  CHELSEA RATINGS: Edouard Mendy - 8. The 30-year-old had to be quick off the line to cut out danger. He was secure and showed off his shot-stopping qualities, especially in saving from Mane in the shootout. Reuters

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  Trevoh Chalobah - 6. The 22-year-old was tormented by Diaz but grew into the game as the defence adjusted. There were times he looked tentative and vulnerable to crosses. Azpilicueta came on for him for the second period of extra time. AP

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  Thiago Silva - 7. The 37-year-old was composed at the centre of defence but most of the trouble came down the flanks. He was a calming presence apart from the odd moment of wayward distribution. AFP

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  Antonio Rudiger - 8. The German’s side of the pitch was more secure in the first period and he handled Salah well until the Egyptian’s departure. He was robust in the tackle and showed off his pace when chasing Mane down in extra time. AP

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  Reece James - 7. The 22-year-old needed to be more restrained after Liverpool’s early barrage but began to range forward as the game went on. He balanced attacking and coping with Diaz well. Scored in the penalty shootout. AFP

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  Jorginho - 7. The Italian could not get to grips with Liverpool’s speed of passing but became more influential when Chelsea squeezed the space between midfield and defence. Scored in the shootout. PA

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  Mateo Kovacic - 6. The Croat was chasing shadows early on but eased into the match. By the time he was withdrawn in the 66th minute for Kante, he had helped Chelsea restore parity in the midfield. EPA

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  Marcos Alonso - 8. The Spaniard’s first touch let him down when he had a chance to score in the first half and he shot wide in the opening moments of the second. Minutes later he hit the bar from a free kick. Scored the first penalty in the shootout. AP

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  Mason Mount - 7. It took a while for the 23-year-old to get going but he sent in a cross to Pulisic from which the American should have scored. The longer the game went on, the more space he found. Alisson saved his penalty in the shootout. Reuters

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  Christian Pulisic - 7. The American screwed a first-half chance wide and then played in Alonso, who wasted the opportunity. He might have done better when shooting straight at Alisson in the second half and when he shot past the post. Loftus-Cheek replaced him for the final 15 minutes. Reuters

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  Romelu Lukaku - 6. The Belgian was starved of supply for much of the match and ran the channels powerfully without much reward. He made way for Ziyech with six minutes remaining. Reuters

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  SUBS: N’Golo Kante (Kovacic 66') - 7. The Frenchman gave a typically effective performance, snuffing out danger, winning the ball and finding a teammate. AP

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  Hakim Ziyech (Lukaku 85') - 6. The Moroccan was muscled to the floor by Konate when making a dangerous run. Scored in the shootout. AP

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  Cesar Azpilicueta (Chalobah 105') - 6. The Spaniard brought his experience to the game and was solid. He hit the post in the penalty shootout. Getty

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  Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Pulisic 105') - 7. The 26-year-old joined the game for the second half of extra time at Pulisic’s expense. He gave his team width and sent in two crosses but was surprisingly substituted for Barkley with two minutes left. PA

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  Ross Barkley (Loftus-Cheek 120') - 6 The 28-year-old came on with the game on the verge of penalties. He despatched his spot-kick in style. Reuters

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  LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson Becker - 8. The Brazilian was a spectator until he was injured making a stop from Alonso approaching the half hour. After that he made a series of good saves and rarely looked uncomfortable. His shootout save from Mount gave Liverpool the chance to win the cup. AP

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  Trent Alexander-Arnold - 8. The 23-year-old’s sumptuous ball to Diaz with the outside of his foot showed his class. He found Robertson at the back post but the Scot could not control the ball. His defending was sharp during Chelsea’s good spells and he made three vital interceptions. Scored in the shootout. Reuters

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  Ibrahima Konate - 7. The Frenchman showed his strength against Lukaku. His distribution was sometimes poor but his positional play was effective. AP

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  Virgil van Dijk - 7. The Dutchman was involved in a physical battle with Lukaku and did not give an inch. He tried to spark attacks with long balls from deep but went off injured at the start of extra time and was replaced by Matip. AP

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  Andrew Robertson - 7. The Scot got up in support of Diaz. Mount got in behind him on one occasion but his defending was generally good. He was surprised to find himself open in front of goal from an Alexander-Arnold cross and then hit the post from a Milner centre. Tsimikas replaced him with nine minutes to go. EPA

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  Naby Keita - 7. The Guinean pressed with gusto and used the ball cleverly. He also tried to get forward to help the attack. Milner came on for him with 16 minutes to go. AP

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  Jordan Henderson - 7. The captain sat deep to replace Fabinho and ensured Liverpool were on top for most of the first half. He did the hard work in midfield and still found time to get forward. Reuters

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  Thiago Alcantara - 7. The 31-year-old got a grip on the central areas and was sharp in the tackle. He nearly got on the end of a Daiz cross. His penalty in the shootout was scored with characteristic style. EPA

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  Mohamed Salah - 5. The Egyptian saw little of the ball even though Liverpool piled on early pressure before he went down with a groin injury. He was replaced by Jota in the 33rd minute. EPA

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  Sadio Mane - 7. The Senegalese worked tirelessly to create space for those around him. Few chances came his way but his movement was excellent. He missed a potentially shootout-winning penalty. AP

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  Luis Diaz - 8. The Colombian tormented the defence from the start and could have scored or set up three early goals. He shot just wide three times in the second period and made way for Firmino in the 98th minute. AFP

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  SUBS: Diogo Jota (Salah 33') - 7. The Portuguese flicked a chance over the bar before half time and fired wide after the break. Slammed in an powerful penalty in the shootout. AFP

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  James Milner (Keita 74') - 7. The 36-year-old immediately made his presence felt with a robust challenge on James and a marvellous cross to Robertson. Scored in the shootout with an unstoppable penalty. Reuters

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  Joel Matip (Van Dijk 90') - 7. The 30-year-old's fresh legs came in useful when he was quick to a ball in the area that Pulisic looked set to get to first. AP

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  Roberto Firmino (Diaz 98') - 7. The Brazilian dropped deeper in an effort to get on the ball and scored in the shootout after a stuttering run. EPA

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  Kosta Tsimikas (Robertson 111') - 8. The Greek was calm and impressive at both ends of the pitch. His penalty won the shootout and the cup for Liverpool. Reuters

“My goal has been to ensure that the next owner has a mindset that will enable success for the men’s and women’s team, as well as the will and drive to continue developing other key aspects of the club, such as the academy and the vital work of Chelsea Foundation.

“I am pleased this search has now come to a successful conclusion. As I hand over Chelsea to its new custodians, I would like to wish them the best of success, both on and off the pitch.

“I am proud that as a result of our joint successes, millions of people will now benefit from the new charitable foundation which is being established. This is the legacy which we have created together.”

Eighty-eight days after Abramovich officially put the Blues up for sale, billionaire Boehly is poised to take over at the west London club.

A short statement on Chelsea’s website said: “Chelsea confirm the agreement to sell the club to the Todd Boehly/Clearlake Capital consortium with the transaction expected to be completed on Monday.”

Chelsea’s sale has required UK Government, European Union and Portuguese Government approval due to the sanctions imposed on Abramovich.

The proceeds of Chelsea’s sale – expected to be £2.5b – will be frozen in a UK bank account on completion of the sale.

The UK Government will then need to issue a further licence to allow those funds to be diverted to a new charitable foundation, to aid victims of the war in Ukraine.

The news was welcomed by Chelsea Supporters’ Trust, who have held positive talks with Boehly in recent weeks.

The fans group said in a statement: “The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust would like to congratulate the consortium led by Todd Boehly on the takeover of Chelsea FC.

“We wish you every success as the custodian of our club and look forward to a long, constructive and mutually beneficial relationship between you and Chelsea supporters.

“The CST has been very encouraged by the interactions we have had with Mr Boehly and his team over recent months, but the hard work starts now. It is now time to deliver both on and off the pitch in building a successful, inclusive and forward-thinking club with supporters at the forefront.”