Mark Walter is the chief executive officer of Guggenheim Partners, the majority owner and chairman of Major League Baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers, and owns 12.7% of BlueCo, the holding company that manages Premier League club Chelsea, on the field after the FIFA Club World Cup finals against Paris Saint-Germain at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 13, 2025. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Rich Glesl | Icon Getty Images
Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter will sell a minority stake in Chelsea Football Club to Clearlake Capital, Chelsea announced in a statement Wednesday night.
According to Chelsea, Clear Lake, which already owns 61.5% of the club, will also acquire Chelsea chairman Todd Boley’s stake, giving him full control of the prestigious club.
Dodgers co-owners Boley and Walter each held about 12.8% of the club’s stock.
The Financial Times valued Chelsea at 5 billion pounds and reported that the deal would see both men receive a total of 950 million pounds, or $1.27 billion. Mr. Boley will step down as club president.
Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss “remains a key stakeholder and partner of the ownership group,” a club statement said.
The sale comes more than a month after Walter announced he had agreed to sell a controlling stake in the Los Angeles Lakers to Joshua Kushner and Bob Iger.
The Lakers deal renewed attention on dual federal criminal and Securities and Exchange Commission investigations into whether approximately $21 billion in investments by two insurance companies controlled by Walter, Delaware Life Insurance and Clearspring Life Insurance Co., were properly disclosed as related company or related party transactions.
Walter’s holding company, TWG Global, said in a statement on August 26 that “despite what has been reported, there was no wrongdoing” at the company and its subsidiaries.
“TWG is committed to working with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission to resolve inquiries,” the company said.
Clearlake Capital co-founders Behada Egbali and Jose Feliciano named Boley in a statement.
“Todd has been a valued partner throughout our ownership of Chelsea and we thank him for his time and contribution as chairman,” they said.
“He will always be part of the Chelsea story and family. Clearlake will be Chelsea’s majority owner from 2022 and as we move into full control, our focus is to continue to invest in the club’s infrastructure, sporting performance and player development to deliver long-term success for Chelsea and the club’s supporters,” the pair said.
Chelsea said: “There are no changes to the club’s day-to-day operations, leadership or strategy.”
Boley said in a statement: “It is an honor to serve as chairman of Chelsea Football Club. I would like to thank the many people who have worked so hard to ensure the club’s bright future, including the English Premier League, our coaches and players, Chelsea’s talented leadership and staff, and our many passionate fans.”
“I have valued our partnership with Clear Lake and the broader ownership group, and the collective decisions and investments we have made to support the club’s immediate and long-term success,” he said.
