Chelsea owner Todd Boehly held talks about purchasing a Portuguese club in the summer
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REVEALED: Chelsea owner Todd Boehly held talks with super agent Jorge Mendes about buying a Portuguese team over the summer, with the American keen to follow Manchester City and the Red Bull football group’s multi-club model
- Todd Boehly has suggested Chelsea may want to buy a network of clubs
- The American admitted to being an admirer of the Red Bull and City Group models
- Boehly would have already had the first discussions about the idea
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Chelsea have been in talks to purchase a Portuguese team as part of the owners’ plan to implement a multi-club model, followed by the Red Bull football group and Manchester City.
Owner Todd Boehly, the co-controlling owner, is said to have held initial talks earlier this summer with the club’s academy manager Neil Bath and noted Portuguese agent Jorge Mendes.
During the talks, the concept of purchasing a Portuguese club was said to have been discussed.
Todd Boehly held the first talks about Chelsea’s purchase of a Portuguese club in the summer
Such a move would allow the Stamford Bridge club to send out their most promising young talent to secure valuable first team football but continue under the Chelsea umbrella.
Bath is said to have worked to identify which club would be most suitable for the club to recruit as a sister team.
Mendes’ connections in Portugal would make the middleman a suitable channel to facilitate a deal should Chelsea decide to formally approach a club.
The American met super agent Jorge Mendes to discuss initial plans to follow the lead of Red Bull and the City Football Group in having a network of clubs
Boehly believes Portugal offers a good opportunity to expand Chelsea’s global presence, given its position as one of the best outside of Europe’s recognized top five divisions.
Portugal consistently produces young footballers who have excellent careers elsewhere in Europe.
Speaking earlier this week, Boehly confirmed his plan to expand Chelsea’s portfolio of teams to enable a path to senior football for young Chelsea players who are not quite ready for the Blues first team.
Chelsea’s upcoming sporting director is said to be heavily involved in the club’s overseas expansion.
Neil Bath (C), the club’s academy manager, has met Boehly to discuss the ambitious plans
Christoph Freund of Red Bull Salzburg, who has played a key role in the Red Bull football group’s venture, is indeed one of the prime candidates for the position.
Freud’s expertise in the multi-club system that Boehly is eager to implement clearly appeals to Chelsea’s owners.
Chelsea has close ties with Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem, where Mason Mount spent a season on a rental basis.
Boehly said this week: “We talked about a multi-club model. I would like to continue expanding the footprint.
New York City FC is one of a number of clubs owned under the umbrella of the City Football Group
“There are several countries where having a club has its advantages. Red Bull is doing a really good job in Leipzig and they have Salzburg, who are both in the Champions League, so they’ve figured out how to make that work. You have Man City with a very large network of clubs.
“The challenge Chelsea has, if you have 18, 19, 20-year-old stars, you can lend them to clubs, but you pass their development on to someone else.
“Our aim is to make sure we show our young stars the way to get onto the Chelsea pitch while also giving them real playing time. The way to do that is through another club in a really competitive league in Europe.”