Off The Pitch

Clearlake Capital is close to completeing a deal to acquire Todd Boehly and Mark Walter’s minority shareholdings in Chelsea FC, which would increase the private equity firm’s control of the Premier League club, as reported by Bloomberg. Multiple media outlets report that the proposed deal would put Chelsea’s overall valuation at about £5 billion. Boehly and Walter currently hold 12.8 per cent each, while Clearlake own 61.5 per cent and already oversee the club’s day-to-day operations.

LaLiga has set a €3.36 billion combined squad spending ceiling for clubs in Spain’s first and second divisions for 2026/27, 24 per cent above the €2.71 billion established for last season. Real Madrid remain the club with the largest allowance, which has increased from €761.2 million to €832.7 million. FC Barcelona have received a sharper rise, from €351.2 million to €582.7 million, while Atlético Madrid’s permitted spending has moved from €326.9 million to €361.2 million. Sevil

Lionel Messi is close to adding Deportivo Eldense to his football investments after agreeing terms in principle for the acquisition of the Spanish second-tier club, according to multiple media reports. The proposed transaction would see the 39-year-old take control from Colombian businessman Juan Carlos Trujillo, who has owned Eldense since October 2025. Completion is subject to approval from the relevant authorities. The club represent Elda, a town of around 55,000 people in Al

Liverpool FC have announced a five-year shirt sponsorship agreement with Turkish Airlines worth more than £300 million, according to multiple UK media, with the partnership starting from the 2027/28 season. The airline will replace Standard Chartered on the front of Liverpool’s men’s, women’s and academy match shirts. The agreement will generate more than £60 million a year for the club over its five-year term. Standard Chartered have been Liverpool’s main shirt partner since 20

All French clubs are for sale. That might seem like a bold and exaggerated statement, but it mirrors the view within the French market, where Paris Saint-Germain and clubs that have only recently changed hands are considered the few exceptions. Behind it lies the deep financial crisis that has engulfed French football, driven in large part by the collapse in broadcasting revenue. The consequences of that crisis have been widely covered, but for ma

FC Barcelona recorded a €17.8 million loss for 2025/26 after a further writedown on their audiovisual business pushed the club into the red. Without the adjustment, Barcelona would have reached break-even. The club recognised a €23.2 million impairment on Barça Produccions, its audiovisual subsidiary, following a €53 million writedown on the same business in 2024/25. The impairments relate to reductions in the valuation of the subsidiary. Barcelona’s net equity remains negative

FC Barcelona have surpassed €1 billion in annual revenue for the first time after their board approved the club’s accounts for 2025/26, according to a club statement. FC Barcelona also recorded a positive ordinary result for a third consecutive season. The final revenue figure has not yet been disclosed, but the club said turnover was close to its €1.075 billion budget despite operating with lower stadium capacity than initially assumed. The budget had anticipated starting the season at

FIFA has accused UEFA of conducting a “smear campaign” against the governing body and its president, Gianni Infantino, in a legal response to UEFA’s attempt to obtain documents linked to the abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal. According to The Athletic, FIFA filed a motion in New York on Tuesday seeking to delay or oppose UEFA’s application for access to documents. UEFA is considering potential criminal proceedings in Switzerland concerning the proposed sale of a 20 per c

Concerns over liquidity in English football are growing after Premier League clubs spent over €4.1 billion this summer, with executives alarmed by transfer structures that defer payments for several years, according to The Independent. Sources described how multiple deals did not require buying clubs to make any payments this season before meeting instalments in subsequent years. Selling clubs, meanwhile, could account for the full value of a transfer immediately, adding to concerns ov

In the space of 17 days in July, AZ Alkmaar announced partnerships with AS Nancy Lorraine in France, Zbrojovka Brno in the Czech Republic and Almere City in the Netherlands. While partner club agreements are nothing new, AZ’s recent deals introduce a completely new approach to partnerships at the top of European football through a strategy in which they offer their renowned recruitment and talent development expertise to help other clubs.