Chelsea are being investigated by the Premier League over two Roman Abramovich transfers, it has been claimed.
According to the Times, a Premier League investigation into secret transfer-related payments made by Chelsea during Abramovich’s tenure as owner will include scrutiny of the financial transactions around the signings of Willian and Samuel Eto’o.
The publication has claimed the transfers of the pair from Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala in August 2013 are part of an investigation after they were flagged up by Chelsea’s current owners.
Advert
The Times has claimed that financial records indicate that payments may have been made to “Russian entities” that were separate from the transfer fee.
Anzhi signed Willian for £30million from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2013 only to sell him to Chelsea for the same amount eight months later.
Meanwhile, Eto’o joined Chelsea on a free transfer a day afterwards. The publication stressed that there is no suggestion either player had any knowledge of alleged separate payments.
The Times also alleged earlier this year that the Premier League is investigating payments made by Chelsea between 2012 and 2019 to secretive offshore companies.
The reported payments were uncovered during the due diligence process that was undertaken by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital when they took over the club from Abramovich last year.
Advert
Chelsea then reported these payments to the FA, Premier League and Uefa after the takeover was concluded.
Chelsea told the Times in a statement: “These allegations pre-date the club’s current ownership. They concern entities that were allegedly controlled by the club’s former owner and do not relate to any individual who is presently at the club.
“Chelsea FC’s ownership group completed its purchase of the club on May 30, 2022. During a thorough due diligence process prior to completion of the purchase, the ownership group became aware of potentially incomplete financial reporting concerning historical transactions during the club’s previous ownership. Immediately following the completion of the purchase, the club proactively self-reported these matters to all applicable football regulators.
“In accordance with the club’s ownership group’s core principles of full compliance and transparency, the club has proactively assisted the applicable regulators with their investigations and will continue to do so.”
Advert
SPORTbible has contacted Chelsea regarding the above claims.
As per the Sun, if found guilty of a rule breach the Premier League could impose sanctions on the club, that could include a fine or a points deduction.
SPORTbible are on WhatsApp! We've launched a dedicated news channel to send you the latest news, features and plenty more directly on WhatsApp and all you need to do to sign up is click through to our one-way broadcast channel here for 'SPORTbible News' to appear in the 'Updates' tab on your WhatsApp.
Featured Image Credit: GettyTopics: Football, Chelsea, Premier League, Roman Abramovich, Willian, Samuel Etoo