The relationship between Chelsea co-owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital is reportedly at breaking point.
Boehly and Clearlake have been in charge of Chelsea for just over two years after they completed a £4.25bn takeover from Roman Abramovich in 2022.
Clearlake, which is owned by Behdad Eghbali and Jose E Feliciano, have a 61.5% stake in the club while the remaining 38.5% is equally split between Boehly, Hansjorg Wyss and Mark Walter.
On Friday, it was reported that the relationship between Clearlake and Boehly had deteriorated in recent months and that the respective parties were open to buying each other out.
However, Clearlake subsequently indicated that they were unwilling to part ways with their stake in the West London club but would be open to purchasing more shares from the other investors.
Chelsea at risk of civil war
According to The Telegraph, Boehly believes that his working relationship with Clearlake Capital has reached its breaking point.
The report claims that Boehly is keen to find a resolution and is looking to buy out Clearlake to solve the untenable situation.
Boehly and Clearlake appear to have differing opinions about the direction that they want to take the club, which has resulted in 'irreconcilable differences' between the co-owners.
The American billionaire is confident that he can raise the required funds to complete a full takeover of the Premier League club.
There are believed to be investors who have indicated they are willing to back Boehly in his bid to buy out Clearlake.
Boehly unwilling to sell
There had previously been a suggestion that Boehly was considering whether to sell his own stake in Chelsea which is just under 13%.
However, Boehly is not entertaining that notion and with Clearlake unwilling to sell, there is a risk of the situation dragging on until a suitable resolution is found.
Clearlake and Boehly's tenure has been dominated by major spending in the transfer market, having splashed out over £1bn since they purchased the club in 2022.
As well as overseeing a considerable turnover of players, the current ownership made numerous changes in the dugout, having parted ways with Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Mauricio Pochettino.
The current Chelsea boss, Enzo Maresca, has experienced a mixed start to his tenure, with his first three league games producing four points.
Chelsea will return to action after the international break with an away game against Bournemouth on September 14.
