KEIR RADNEDGE REPORTS: Chelsea’s new owners have moved quickly to impose their command at Stamford Bridge both on and off the pitch.

Centre-forward Romelu Lukaku is on the way out and so are key executives Bruce Buck and Marina Granovskaia. Todd Boehly, who has taken over as chairman, has also warned that although he is ready to spend heavily on new players he will not match the money-no-object strategy of Roman Abramovich.

The past four months have been turbulent ones since the 55-year-old oligarch was forced to sell the club because of UK government sanctions imposed after the Russia military invasion of Ukraine.

Uncertainty over the club’s ownership brought transfer business to a halt. Now that Boehly and his consortium are in place the club can try to make up for lost time. First decision has been the loan of Lukaku back to Internazionale from whom he rejoined Chelsea a year ago for a club record £97.5m.

Lukaku’s signing appeared good business. He could provide the goals which Timo Werner could not. However Lukaku proved one of the few transfer mistakes of the Abramovich era. He scored only eight goals in 26 Premier League appearances and expressed his regrets at the move in a midseason interview with an Italian TV channel. Relations between Lukaku and manager Thomas Tuchel were never the same again.

Chelsea will need a replacement. They are interested in Raheem Sterling, who has a year left on his contract at Manchester City and wants regular first-team football. Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembélé and the Everton striker Richarlison have also been linked with the club.

Defence also needs rebuilding. Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen left on free transfers to Real Madrid and Barcelona while Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta could also depart. Sevilla’s Jules Kounde is one target.

Boehly has taken over as chairman in place of Bruce Buck, a 76-year-old American lawyer and long-time Abramovich associate. Other new directors include Boehly partners from Clearlake Capital as well as the Swiss businessman Hans-Jorg Wyss.

Executive director Marina Granovskaia, a key ally of Abramovich and effective club ceo, will leave after overseeing work in the current transfer window.

Granovskaia, who has a Canadian passport, worked for Abramovich at oil company Sibneft and moved to London when he bought Chelsea in 2003. She has been in charge of transfers and player contracts since 2013 and will be a difficult act to follow. It has been reported that she will receive a £20m pay-off.

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