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LONDON. — New Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is reportedly set to hand Thomas Tuchel a bumper £200 million transfer war chest this summer.

Boehly and his consortium are on the brink of officially taking over the club after the £4.25bn deal received Government and English Premier League approval. But the Blues will need to make up for lost time in the transfer market.

Sanctions placed on the club mean rivals have been able to conduct business with Chelsea’s potential targets.

Boehly though is keen to close the gap to Manchester City and Liverpool so will hand Thomas Tuchel around £200m to get things started, according to the Telegraph. Although some of the £200m worth of funds is expected to come from player sales, with the suggestion Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic and Timo Werner could all be flogged.

Cesar Azpiliceuta’s future is yet to be confirmed and the club are prepared to let Marcos Alonso leave if their valuation of the left-back is met.

Player sales, plus a cash injection from Boehly, would give Tuchel plenty of funds to play with this summer.

It’s claimed the club have drawn up an eight-man centre-back shortlist following the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.

Sevilla defender Jules Kounde is top of the list, while there is also interest in RB Leipzig left-footer Josko Gvardiol.

Other options include the likes of Atletico Madrid’s Jose Gimenez and Villarreal’s Pau Torres, plus Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly and newly called up England man James Justin.

In attack Manchester City star Raheem Sterling could be targeted if Werner, Ziyech or Pulisic make way.

The 27-year-old has just one-year left on his Etihad contract.

Midfield reinforcements are possible too, with West Ham’s Declan Rice and Monaco’s Aurelien Tchouameni both appreciated.

And once the takeover is complete the Blues can also work on handing out new contracts to current players.

Academy graduates Mason Mount and Reece James are both said to be in line for bumper new deals.

Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy could also be rewarded with fresh terms.

Meanwhile, the UK Government have officially approved Boehly’s £4.25bn takeover of Chelsea.

After English Premier League bosses gave their own go-ahead on Tuesday, the UK Government have now signalled the green light for Boehly’s consortium to assume control of the Blues.

Approval from Whitehall came late on Tuesday night.

A UK Government source said: “Late last night the UK Government reached a position where we could issue a licence that permits the sale of Chelsea Football Club. “Following the sanctioning of Roman Abramovich, the UK Government has worked hard to ensure Chelsea Football Club has been able to continue to play football.

“But we have always been clear that the long-term future of the club could only be secured under a new owner.”

And the UK Government are now assured that none of the proceeds from selling the club will go to sanctioned former owner Roman Abramovich.

The statement continued: “Following extensive work, we are now satisfied that the full proceeds of the sale will not benefit Roman Abramovich or any other sanctioned individual.

“We will now begin the process of ensuring the proceeds of the sale are used for humanitarian causes in Ukraine, supporting victims of the war.

“The steps today will secure the future of this important cultural asset and protect fans and the wider football community.

“We have been in discussions with relevant international partners for necessary licences required and we thank them for all their cooperation.”

American Boehly — who is at the head of a multi-billion-pound consortium — threw his name into the ring to buy the cash-strapped west Londoners following the UK Government’s sanctions on Abramovich.

Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Boehly (46) had already PASSED the English Premier League’s owner and directors test.

League bosses approved the £4.25bn takeover on Tuesday.

An English Premier League spokesman said: “The Board has applied the Premier League’s Owners’ and Directors’ Test (OADT) to all prospective Directors, and undertaken the necessary due diligence.

“The members of the Consortium purchasing the club are affiliates of the Clearlake Capital Group, L.P., Todd Boehly, Hansjorg Wyss and Mark Walter.

“Chelsea FC will now work with the relevant Governments to secure the necessary licences to complete the takeover.”

The Prem statement added: “The purchase remains subject to the Government issuing the required sale licence and the satisfactory completion of the final stages of the transaction.”

UK Government sources suggested on Monday that Whitehall approval was close but that there remained significant “hurdles” with the green light from Europe. Now though the UK Government have officially given the takeover the go-ahead. Abramovich, who holds a Portuguese passport, is also on the EU sanctions list. — The Sun.