BlueCo, the consortium that owns Chelsea, have taken the first step in their multi-club venture by securing a stake in Ligue 1 side Strasbourg.
Adding clubs as partners to their Premier League investment has long been a priority for the group that took charge at Stamford Bridge in May 2022 and their link-up with the Alsace side could be the first of many with interest having previously been expressed in Brazilian and Portuguese teams.
The announcement of BlueCo's agreement with Strasbourg did not confirm what stake the Chelsea owners will have at the Stade de la Meinau but it is believed they will be majority owners, potentially holding close to 100 percent of shares at the club. Notably, the media statement stated that BlueCo would be "the new shareholders." Reports in France value the deal at €75 million.
"It is an honor for us to be part of this historic club," said BlueCo in a release. "We are committed to preserving the heritage of Racing and are focused on working closely with Marc [Keller, Strasbourg's president] and his management team to continue the excellent work they have been doing. This strategic investment would further our presence in European football, alongside our ownership of Chelsea. We believe it would create huge opportunities to share knowledge and expertise."
Marc Keller will remain president of the club while the management team will remain in place after a season where Le Racing finished 15th.
"We've built a club that's healthy at every level and well managed," he said. "Although there was no financial urgency, we were aware that we had reached the ceiling of our model, and if we wanted to continue driving Racing forward and projecting it into a new dimension, we necessarily needed to be accompanied by a solid structure capable of supporting our development and our ambition. I am therefore delighted of the perspective to welcome a new strategic investor, with whom we would accelerate the club's ambition to build the Racing of tomorrow."
Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly has previously spoken of a multi-club system as offering "pathways for our young superstars to get on to the Chelsea pitch while getting them real game time."
Among their Premier League rivals, City Football Group operate a similar model with Manchester City the flagship of 12 clubs in which the organization holds stakes. UEFA currently restricts access to European competitions for clubs with the same owner but president Alexander Ceferin said in March that those regulations should be reassessed.
French football has proven to be a rich picking ground for English clubs in recent years and in addition to giving talented youngsters a chance to get minutes in Ligue 1, Chelsea will doubtless look to exploit their newly built connections in the country to secure some of the country's brightest prospects.
