Chelsea facing punishment as UEFA make final decision on controversial £200m deal

Chelsea are in line for a UEFA fine after breaching limits on financial losses, it has been claimed. The European football governing body is understood to be unwilling to allow the Blues to include the sale of their women's team as income.

The club sold their women's team to a sister company for a sum in the region of £200million. They had previously .

According to , and UEFA are in talks over the punishment for the London club. The publication suggests a fine and a spending plan are the most likely outcomes.

It has been suggested that further breaches could bring about a ban from European competition. The final outcome of any settlement between the club and the governing body is expected in May, The Times reports.

Chelsea are competing in the UEFA Conference League this season. They finished top of the league phase table with maximum points and beat FC Copenhagen in the round of 16 to set up a quarter-final meeting with Legia Warszawa.

READ MORE:

READ MORE:

On Monday, Chelsea announced pre-tax profits of £128.4m, in part due to the "repositioning" of the women's team. The club pointed to “a profit on disposal of subsidiaries of £198.7m," understood to largely be down to the sale of the women's team to BlueCo.

The Times notes that UEFA and the have different rules when it comes to selling assets to sister companies. UEFA sets a maximum of £170m worth of losses over a three-year period, and the removal of £200m from the income column takes the Blues over that threshold, though it was factored into PSR calculations for the Premier League.

The Times also notes that 'at least three' other clubs are thought to be in breach of UEFA's rules, though none of the three has been named. Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly is said to be relaxed on the matter.

On the field, Chelsea remain on track to qualify for next season's . A 1-0 victory over on Thursday lifted them back up to fourth, though sixth-placed can leapfrog them if they win their game in hand.

"In the last 10 minutes I think the team showed effort, togetherness, spirit and it's something that we need," manager Enzo Maresca told after the midweek win. "If you measure on the result then for sure if we achieve Champions League is an important thing but from my point of view, I try to see how we improve day by day and I can see, since the first day, I think the team is getting better and better."

and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our