Marina Granovskaia set to leave Chelsea with £20m bonus with new owner Todd Boehly taking control
MARINA GRANOVSKAIA is set to leave Chelsea with a £20million bonus as new owner Todd Boehly prepares to take control of transfers.
The club director, 47, will leave Stamford Bridge at the end of this month, according to reports.
This comes just a few weeks after the announcement of Boehly's £4.25billion takeover.
Granovskaia has been a crucial figure behind the scenes at Chelsea for almost two decades.
She moved to London when Roman Abramovich bought the Blues in 2003, but was not initially connected to the club.
In 2010 she became a representative before joining the Chelsea board in 2013.
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The following year she was promoted to chief executive and has since been regarded as the most powerful woman in football.
Granovskaia follows club chairman Bruce Buck, who has already confirmed that he will step down on June 30.
The 76-year-old served 19 years in the role, but he will now become a senior advisor with Boehly taking his place.
Following the announcement, Buck said: "I am proud to have helped Chelsea realise great success on the pitch and make a positive impact in the community.
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"Now is the right time to step down and let new ownership build on the strong foundations we have in place.
"The owners have a compelling vision for Chelsea’s future, and I look forward to helping them achieve it in this new role alongside our incredible staff, players, coaches and supporters."
Chelsea have not yet officially announced Granovskaia's departure, but have reported that she is expected to walk away with a £20million bonus.
That constitutes 40 per cent of a total £50m bonus being split between a Chelsea management team - also including Buck.
Sources told The Times last month the pair will be awarded “transaction and retention bonuses” for the part they played, alongside Raine Group, in handling the takeover process of the club.
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It's also said those collecting a bonus worked “24 hours a day for five weeks” to get the deal done and are eligible for bonuses.
Boehly himself is understood to be the person responsible for determining the bonus structure for staff at the club.