Chelsea owners set sights on Ronaldo club with 'serious' transfer plans drawn up

Chelsea news - The Blues are continuing to make changes as the new ownership look set to begin their huge multi-club model plan.

The Russian oligarch spent heavily after his own takeover, though his time at the top would be brought to and end following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The UK government sanctioned Abramovich due to alleged ties to Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin - something he denies.

With the passing of the torch, many were hopeful that the new ownership could continue the club's recent history of winning trophies and competing at the top. That's certainly the plan, though the route that BlueCo have taken the side down to get there is a different one.

A transfer strategy shift has seen the Blues focus more on talent under the age of 25, investing heavily and aggressively into stars for the future. So far, the spending has already eclipsed £1billion in three transfer windows, however a 12th-placed finish and four points from four is all that can be shown from such a large spend.

The plan at some point will be to have the club in a self-sustaining manner, where such large fees are being spread across several young stars to bring into the first-team rather than on one or two players. The reality of this is that the youngsters will need game time to reach their potential, something the club certainly can't guarantee.

That has seen them dip into the multi-club model approach, something that Boehly praised the likes of the Red Bull group and the City Football group for in the past. The first forays into that were taken earlier this year as BlueCo took over French club Strasbourg in a deal worth £65million.

It was something that didn't go down well with fans of the French side, who protested recent visits of their new owners with banners in the crowd against such a deal. In their view, a club with such a history and a fanbase stretching generations shouldn't become a glorified feeder club for Chelsea, such is the way of the Premier League's financial dominance.

Strasbourg may not be the only club that faces such a fate as the Telegraph reports that Portuguese giants Sporting CP are the latest to be pursued by BlueCo as part of their multi-club model, with serious plans over a minority investment. It may be a difficult move to pull off given their own rich history, which includes a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and several Portuguese league titles.

Sporting have also been known for plenty of talent within their own ranks, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and Joao Palhinha just a few recent examples of successful exports to the Premier League. It remains to be seen exactly how well a perceived investment from Chelsea would be taken, especially with the caveat of providing a pathway to the club for youngsters.