Although the Premier League is expected to approve the Todd Boehly-led group’s purchase of Chelsea FC, an obstacle still remains: Talks between Roman Abramovich and the U.K. government as to where the sale money will go.

After being sanctioned by the U.K. government for alleged ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Abramovich is not allowed to personally benefit from the proceeds. So a separate agreement will have to be reached between Abramovich and the U.K. authorities over the £2.5 billion (roughly $3.1 billion) asking price.

The Boehly group has committed £4.25 billion (roughly $5.27 billion) toward the purchase—a figure that includes guarantees of future investment. The fate of the £2.5 billion asking price still remains, though.

Some reports say that Abramovich is asking for the £2.5 billion to be paid to a charity tied to his children. In turn, the government is demanding the money be held in an escrow account, which would allow for the sale to go through, and, eventually, a resolution between Abramovich and the government—freeing Chelsea from any and all sanctions.

Time is ticking, as the license to keep Chelsea operating expires on May 31.

In an attempt to reverse its reputation as a place where wealthy Russians with connections to President Vladimir Putin are welcome to do business, Britain Thursday froze the assets of seven prominent Russian businesspeople, most notably Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich.

As tensions on the heels of the Ukraine invasion mounted, Abramovich last week said that he’s selling his West London soccer club. However, this move has blocked the sale, though the club can still play games but can’t sell tickets, merchandise or sign players.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the government have been pushing through legislation that aims to make it tougher to hide wealth in London. They’ve also sanctioned 18 Russian oligarchs—fewer than were targeted by the U.S. or E.U.

“Today’s sanctions show once again that oligarchs and kleptocrats have no place in our economy or society,” British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Thursday. “With their close links to Putin, they are complicit in his aggression.”

Abramovich built his fortune, estimated at $12 billion, by gaining control of resources, including oil and aluminum, that had been owned by the state before the Soviet Union’s collapse.

The British officials said Abramovich is “one of the few oligarchs from the 1990s to maintain prominence under Putin.” However, he has previously denied any relationship with Putin; he has confirmed that he was contacted by Ukraine to help facilitate peace talks.

The others on the British sanctions list were Oleg Deripaska, a former business partner of Abramovich with stakes in En+ Group; Rosneft chief executive Igor Sechin; Gazprom chief executive Alexei Miller; Nikolai Tokarev, president of state-owned pipeline company Transneft; VTB Bank Chairman Andrey Kostin; and Bank Rossiya Chairman Dmitri Lebedev.

Together, they have a collective net worth of about $19.8 billion – and all are banned from traveling to and doing business with Britain, its citizens, or its companies, though Abramovich is the only one unsanctioned by the U.S.

“It’s real progress, but we’re playing catch-up,” said Charlie Loudon, legal adviser with human rights organization Redress, which is tracking the sanctions.

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, who owns the Premier League football club Chelsea, has accepted a Ukrainian request to help negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.

“I can confirm Roman Abramovich was contacted by the Ukrainian side for support in achieving a peaceful resolution, and that he has been trying to help ever since,” an Abramovich spokesperson said. “Considering what is at stake, we would ask for understanding as to why we have not commented on either the situation as such or his involvement.”

There was no immediate comment from the Ukrainian government.

Jewish and of Israeli citizenship, Abramovich was one of the most powerful businessmen who earned fortunes after the 1991 dissolving of the Soviet Union; his net worth is ranked at $13.3 billion. A commodities trader who thrived in the chaos of the 1990s under then-President Boris Yeltsin, Abramovich acquired stakes in the Sibneft oil company, Rusal aluminum producer and Aeroflot that were later sold.

Under Russian President Vladimir Putin, Abramovich, 55, served as governor of the Arctic region of Chukotka in the country’s Far East.

It’s unclear what role he will have in talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials, which began on Monday at the Belarusian border. The Ukrainian president’s office said his country’s goal was an immediate cease-fire and the withdrawal of troops. The Kremlin has not said what its objectives are in the talks.

Recently, two other Russian billionaires, Mikhail Fridman and Oleg Deripaska, have called for an end to the war.

Putin used an early-morning address to the nation on February 24 to order “a special military operation” against Ukraine just a few days after recognizing two Russian-backed rebel regions of Ukraine.

Putin said he was ordering the military operation to protect people, including Russian citizens, from “genocide”—an accusation the opposition insists is baseless propaganda.