Chelsea transfer guru and Roman Abramovich 's trusted lieutenant Marina Granovskaia is set to leave Stamford Bridge.
The club recently changed hands with the Russian's two-decade tenure in west London coming to an end. American Todd Boehly is now in charge after he led a consortium that bought the Blues for more than £4 billion with changes aplenty taking place.
One of those will see Granovskaia leave her role with Chelsea as Boehly himself takes on more responsibility of transfer dealings. For long periods that had been part of Granovskaia's remit whilst she also dealt with player contracts. The 47-year-old enjoyed a stellar reputation during a trophy-laden period for Chelsea.
Now though the new era will begin without the businesswoman, whose position at Stamford Bridge had been uncertain following her relationship with Abramovich. Granovskaia first began working with the billionaire in 1997 at Sibneft as his PA and moved to the English capital after his purchase of the Premier League side.
Granovskaia was named the ‘Best Club Director in European football’ at the Golden Boy awards only last year. Now though Boehly is tasked with continuing her legacy and has wasted no time in getting stuck into things in west London, taking on a leading role in negotiating Romelu Lukaku's future.
The Belgian returned to Chelsea last summer for a club-record £97.5m fee but only scored eight times in the Premier League. Lukaku is keen on a return to Inter Milan and it is Boehly who has dealt with the Italian club regarding his exit, which is likely to be a loan deal.
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Thomas Tuchel may also play a more hands on role in recruitment whilst the club look to find a new sporting director. Chelsea need to add several new faces in the summer following the departures of several key players. Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen both left on frees with Sevilla's Jules Kounde their top target.
Changes at Stamford Bridge have also continued with chairman Bruce Buck leaving the club. During his time at the club they claimed 18 major trophies but claimed now was the right time to step down.
He said: "I am proud to have helped Chelsea realise great success on the pitch and make a positive impact in the community. 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."
