Chelsea is exploring the possibility of redeveloping their home stadium, Stamford Bridge, which could potentially result in the team playing elsewhere for a period of four years.
The Daily Mail reports that the new stadium, estimated to cost around £2 billion and hold 60,000 fans, may require the current stadium to be demolished.
To accommodate the construction work, Chelsea’s owner Todd Boehly has already had informal discussions with Fulham chief Shahid Khan about the possibility of playing at Craven Cottage.
Other options being considered include Wembley Stadium and Twickenham. However, early estimates suggest that the team may have to play away from Stamford Bridge for at least four years.
The current capacity of Stamford Bridge is 42,000, which is significantly smaller than many of their rivals such as Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Manchester City, and Tottenham.
Plans to relocate have been discussed for many years, with previous owner Roman Abramovich obtaining planning permission to redevelop the ground in 2017.
However, the project never materialized, and the planning permission expired in 2020.
Redeveloping Stamford Bridge will be a challenging and expensive undertaking, as the stadium’s location in west London is close to train and tube lines, a cemetery, and an underground river, making it a difficult site to expand.
