Chelsea, the Premier League football team part-owned by US businessman Todd Boehly, has held talks with key Earls Court stakeholders about buying a west London tube depot with a view to finally building a larger stadium for the club.
According to reports in the Guardian, the Blues have spoken with Transport for London and real estate developer Delancey about the possibility of building a bigger ground at the Lillie Road depot, a site around a mile from its historic Stamford Bridge stadium.
Difficulties around redeveloping its existing 40,000-seater stadium have led the club to consider an alternative west London venue, despite BlueCo, the club's ownership group, finalising a deal to buy a 1.9-acre site next to Stamford Bridge for circa £80 million earlier this year.
The Guardian adds that Jason Gannon, the club's chief executive, has led "productive talks" with the two stakeholders, having drawn up plans and identified the Lillie Bridge depot as a potential new home for the 2021 Champions League winners.
But the site is already part of plans for a mixed-use scheme, which is being led by the Earls Court Development Company. Its masterplan has no mention of a stadium and is scheduled to be presented to Hammersmith and Fulham Council and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea next week.
Approval of the designs in their current form would be a major headache for the Premier League side. But the Guardian sourcesn have suggested the ECDC's plans could be too expensive, potentially opening up the door for a multi-use football stadium comprising affordable housing on the site.
Chelsea would need to submit a bid for Earls Court, with a property source saying the site's value could stand at around an estimated half a billion pounds. But the club, which was sold to BlueCo for more than £4 billion a few years ago, would need the permission of Chelsea Pitch Owners, a group which has the freehold of the Stamford Bridge site.
A ECDC spokesperson said in a statement that there was no room in its masterplan for the club to relocate to the Earls Court site, which would see the club move homes for the first time since 1905.
They added: "We have a fully detailed design, shortly to be registered with both local authorities, which prioritises the delivery of thousands of homes and jobs, culture and open space through a well-designed and considered masterplan which has evolved over four years of engagement. This will see development commence in 2026 with the first residents and occupiers moving in from 2030. This is, and will remain, our primary focus."
Earls Court is central London's largest cleared development site. The designs ECDC include around 4,000 homes, targeting 35% affordable across all tenures, 2.5 million square feet of workspace, and 200,000 square feet of retail, dining, leisure and culture including three cultural and performance venues.
Chelsea's bid to develop a larger stadium have become a long-running saga spanning two ownerships. Former owner Roman Abramovich had plans drawn up for a £1 billion arena that would have redevelopment the existing home of the club, but the project was paused before his departure, with the club blaming "the current unfavorable investment climate".
The new Chelsea owners picked up the challenge after buying the club in May 2022, buying the neighbouring site to create room for a possible redevelopment of the ground, although no plans have been brought forward, despite reports suggesting it is the club's preferred option.
Gannon, the club's chief operating officer, said in a statement at the time: "We are delighted to increase our footprint at Stamford Bridge and take a significant step towards ensuring the long-term financial sustainability of the club."
For a review of the plans launched in February last year, the history of the famous site and an interview with the developers, click here.
Chelsea FC was approached for comment, while Delancey referred CoStar News to ECDC for comment as the development lead.