Chelsea could face Premier League points deduction over millions paid to secret offshore companies: Reports

As reported by the Daily Mail, Chelsea could be slapped with a points deduction in the Premier League over alleged millions paid to secret offshore entities by their previous ownership.

During the handover process from Roman Abramovich to the current owners Todd Boehly and Co., the new ownership flagged concerns to UEFA and Football Association about some unreported transactions. The Blues could be handed a fine or points deduction in the Premier League if they're found guilty of any wrongdoing.

The aforementioned transactions pertain to payments to various offshore entities, believed to be linked to transfers, which were not included in the club's annual reporting under financial regulations.

The probe is set to examine potential links between the offshore entities and the entities or people involved in the transfers. One of the transfers is that of Danish defender Andreas Christensen, who arrived from Brondby in 2012.

As per Danish newspaper Politiken in 2018 (as part of the ‘Football Leaks’ cache of documents), the Blues allegedly employed Andreas' father, Sten, as a scout on the day they concluded a deal for the defender. The club paid Sten more than £650,000 over four years while he was still a goalkeeping coach at Brondby.

Chelsea are already in hot water for UEFA financial fair play breaches during their previous regime. They have agreed to pay the European governing body £8.6 million as settlement, as reported by the Daily Mail.

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How did Chelsea perform in pre-season ahead of the 2023-24 season?

Chelsea are looking to return to the top four.

The Blues are coming off one of their worst top-flight campaigns in recent memory, finishing a lowly 12th, which saw them miss out on European football this season.

They have appointed former Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino to steady the ship. Chelsea commenced life under Pochettino with five pre-season friendlies in the US ahead of the new season.

They beat Wrexham 5-0 on July 20 in Chapel Hill before beating Brighton & Hove Albion 4-3 in Philadelphia three days later. On July 27, they drew 1-1 with Newcastle United in Atlanta before beating Fulham 2-0 in Maryland three days later. The Blues ended their US tour with a 1-1 draw against Borussia Dortmund in Chicago on August 3.

Pochettino and Co. will commence their Premier League campaign at home against Liverpool on Sunday (August 13).