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Chelsea are looking to buy a club in Portugal, and have gone so far as to have initial discussions about it.
Co-owner Todd Boehly wants to follow the multi-club model of the Citi group, whose stable includes Manchester City, Girona and New York City, and the Red Bull group.
Boehly met with Chelsea academy manager Neil Bath and Jorge Mendes, the super agent, to discuss the subject and to identify potential candidates.
Bath’s remit includes finding the best team to send out their young talent on loan to further develop them, whilst Mendes has the knowledge and contacts when it comes to the best club to buy.
Portugal is considered an appropriate league because its standard Is one of the highest outside the traditional “top five” in Europe, and has a rich history of producing top talent of their own.
Their new sporting director, whenever he is appointed, is also expected to have a leading role in this project which, although very much in its early stages, could see a number of satellite clubs added in the years to come.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.