Chelsea SUED by football agent over 'owed money'

Cameron Smith

• 6 Sept 2024 22:30 BST
• 3 min read

Football agent Saif Alrubie is suing Chelsea and Marina Granovskaia over money he believes he is owed from Kurt Zouma’s move to West Ham United in 2021.

Alrubie believes he had an agreement to receive commission if Zouma, who joined West Ham for €35 million, left Chelsea for a fee of over €30m.

He filed a claim with the London Commercial Court on Friday and Sky Sports have reported that the disputed sum could be worth up to €3.3m.

READ MORE: Chelsea eye SHOCK January move for Arsenal star

In April, Alrubie was cleared of sending a threatening email to Chelsea’s former director Granovskaia, and he is now suing the 49-year-old and her ex-employers.

Upon news of the legal action he has taken, Alrubie said (as per Sky Sports): “The last two-and-a-half years have been incredibly difficult.

“As a fan of Chelsea FC and having had a productive business relationship with the club over a number of years, I am saddened that I have been forced to take this step.

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“It's my sincere hope that we will be able to reach a resolution to this issue that is long overdue.

“I am hopeful that Todd Boehly, Behdad Eghbali and Chelsea FC will take the action necessary to right this wrong and close this chapter so that all parties can move on.”

Clearlake Capital truth

Meanwhile, The Telegraph have confirmed that Clearlake Capital have no intention of selling their majority stake in Chelsea.

Bloomberg have reported that Chelsea’s main shareholders are interested in the potential of buying each other out, but Matt Law has poured cold water on such claims.

In fact, Clearlake, a private equity fund managed by Behdad Eghbali and Jose E Feliciano, would only be open to increasing their 61.5% stake.

The remaining 38.5% of the west London club is split equally between Todd Boehly, Hansjorg Wyss and Mark Walter.