Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly is said to be surprised by the reception he has received from Blues fans when visiting Stamford Bridge.
The American completed a takeover of the Blues earlier in the year, heading up a consortium with Clearlake Capital to succeed Roman Abramovich.
He has since visited Stamford Bridge on several occasions, taking a hands-on approach to running the club.
Since their arrival, the Boehly-Clearlake consortium have been busy, ringing in the changes at Stamford Bridge.
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Marina Granovskaia, Bruce Buck and Petr Cech all left their roles at the club as Boehly acts as the interim sporting director.
He has recently visited Barcelona to meet with officials from the Catalan side.
It remains unclear as to what they discussed, with Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta thought to be a topic of discussion, while Frenkie de Jong may also have been mentioned.
This approach is similar to the one that Boehly has taken in the past at the LA Dodgers, but with there being one major difference.
As stated by Nick Purewal, Boehly is surprised by the level of supporter recognition he has received in the first months of the ownership.
During his visits to Stamford Bridge, Boehly has been stopped as fans ask for pictures with the new face of the club.
This is thought to be different to his role at the Dodgers, where he is said to go under the radar.
No doubt this will be something that Boehly enjoys, however, as he shared jokes with press in Spain on Thursday.
The American confirmed that Chelsea and Barcelona had struck an agreement regarding a transfer, but would not confirm who the subject of the meeting was.
As the Blues chiefs left to head back to depart Spain, Boehly, as reported by the media in Spain, was asked if an agreement had been reached with Barcelona at all.
His answer was short but confirmatory - “Yes,” Boehly admitted.
Boehly also enjoyed the food, adding: “Great meal, great meal. Wonderful food.”
However, it has not all been fun and games since Boehly became sporting director as the Blues have been locked in a transfer battle over Raphinha.
Barcelona are providing strong competition for the Brazilian, who Chelsea have seen a bid accepted for by Leeds United.
Barcelona’s refusal to match Chelsea’s £55 million offer could see a decision decided by the weekend as Leeds grow frustrated.
One thing is for sure though, the recognition of Boehly will not go away anytime soon as the face of the new-look Chelsea ownership.
Topics: Chelsea, Todd Boehly, Football, Premier League
Nick Emms