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Strasbourg have an average squad age of around 23 but have been the surprise package of the French top flight Chelsea's US-based owners are preparing for a situation in which the Blues qualify for the same European competition as French sister club Strasbourg. Uefa, European football's governing body, has strict rules regarding multi-club ownership models and it has forced Blue Co, the parent company of both Chelsea and Strasbourg, into a change to allow both clubs a chance of playing Champions League football next season - should they qualify. Strasbourg are currently sixth in Ligue 1 and will likely need to win their last two matches to secure a third-placed finish to qualify for the Champions League, ahead of the likes of Monaco, Nice, Lille and Lyon. Chelsea's owners have been in conversation with Uefa since January about setting up a structure that is compliant. Strasbourg are expected to move into a 'blind' trust, while removing any conflicts like board members or staff working across the two clubs. The two established ways round Uefa's multi-club ownership rules are to either reduce a stake in one of them - as Brighton owner Tony Bloom did with his Belgian outfit Union-Saint Gilloise - or put one of them into a blind trust so an individual cannot exert influence over two clubs. In a similar situation to Blue Co, Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has diluted his control of the club in preparation for possible Champions League qualification, with Olympiakos set to qualify for the competition by winning the Greek league. Legally, Marinakis has ceased to become a "person with significant control" of the company that owns Forest. Marinakis maintains his commitment to Forest, as do Chelsea's owners towards Strasbourg, after substantial off-field and on-field investment since their £64m takeover in 2023. Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe moved his two other Ineos-owned clubs Nice and Lausanne-Sport into this structure and City Football Group, which owns Manchester City, also moved Girona into a blind trust. Strasbourg are led by English manager Liam Rosenior and are unbeaten since the March international break, including beating champions PSG last week, with their final two matches against relegation threatened Angers and Le Havre. Strasbourg could achieve their highest league finish since 1979 with the youngest squad in Europe's top five leagues. Chelsea, meanwhile, are fifth in the Premier League with three games against Newcastle, Manchester United and Forest remaining. If both clubs fall short of qualifying for the Champions League, they could both end up in the Europa League. Uefa would also bar Chelsea and Strasbourg from making transfers of any kind between the two clubs should they end up in the same competition. Latest Chelsea news, analysis and fan views Get Chelsea news sent straight to your phone Comments can not be loaded To load Comments you need to enable Java Script in your browser IPL suspended for one week over safety concerns 'Who cares if we're struggling in the league? ' - Spurs & Man Utd in Europa League final reaction Man Utd and Tottenham set up ‘titanic battle to salvage season’ Award winning biographical war drama Items with extraordinary wartime stories, lovingly restored A gripping prison drama featuring Stephen Graham Hit mockumentary starring Charlie and Daisy May Cooper Man Utd and Tottenham set up ‘titanic battle to salvage season’ 12 from Leinster, two from Wales - the Lions squad in numbers The Giro d'Italia's race for pink is anyone's guess Maresca excited to face 'football dad' in final Isak? Sesko? Gyokeres? Inside Arsenal's summer plans Five talking points from Lions squad announcement 'The league of farmers? ' How PSG and Inter defied the odds PSG beat Arsenal in Paris to reach Champions League final. Video PSG beat Arsenal in Paris to reach Champions League final Meet Michele Kang - the woman leading a football revolution 'Clock ticking on Arteta to prove he can be a winner' Where does Inter v Barca rank among best-ever semi-finals? In Pictures: Sporting photos of the week Stunning stats and 'Ronaldo behaviour' - is Yamal cut out to rival Messi? 'Two concussions in a month was scary and it's why I'm retiring' Is the risk that Mercedes took with Antonelli paying off? Zhao beats Williams in historic final - highlights. Video Zhao beats Williams in historic final - highlights Ask Me Anything, the BBC Sport service designed to serve you Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.