Chelsea's plan to build a new stadium has reportedly hit a major stumbling block.
The Guardian newspaper reported: The Blues had been in talks with Transport for London (TfL) and property developers Delancey about a move to a new, yet-to-be-built venue at Earl's Court.
The report claims Chelsea have targeted Lillie Bridge depot as the site for a new stadium, with new chief executive Jason Gannon leading discussions with TfL and Delancey.
The Guardian adds that a “conservative estimate” of the value of the Earl's Court site is £500m.
However, securing the site will not be a straightforward task, as the report states that the Earl's Court Development Committee (ECDC) hopes to build a mixed-use development, and a football stadium is not part of the plan.
In addition, Chelsea must reach an agreement with the Chelsea ground owners, who own the freehold of Stamford Bridge, if they want to leave their home stadium.
The ECDC has already rpublished a statement via The Telegraph stating that “there is no plan within our plans” for Chelsea to move to the site in question.
“We have a fully detailed design, soon to be registered with both local authorities, which prioritises the delivery of thousands of homes and jobs, culture and open spaces through a well-designed and considered masterplan that has evolved over four years of engagement,” the statement said.
“Development will begin in 2026 and the first residents and occupants will move in from 2030. This is and will remain our primary goal.”
Aside from the ECDC statement, another obstacle that could put a stop to Chelsea's stadium plans is The internal battle between the club's co-owners.
The relationship between Clearlake co-founder Behdad Eghbali and Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly is on the brink of collapse due to differences over the club's transfer policy, results and the slow process of building a new stadium.
talkSPORT understands that Clearlake, which owns 61.5 per cent of Chelsea, is not interested in selling and wants to increase its stake.
As for Boehly, who owns the remaining 38.5 percent stake together with Hansjorg Wyss and Mark Walter, he is believed to be open to offers.
Stamford Bridge has been ChelseaThe stadium has hosted the tournament since 1905 and its capacity has grown to reach 40,341 spectators.
However, the Blues' owners are interested in expanding that figure.
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With Chelsea already boasting one of the highest revenue earners in world football, it makes sense to upgrade the capacity of Stamford Bridge.
They attempted to buy Battersea Power Station in May 2012 under the ownership of Roman Abramovich but their offer was rejected and the site was converted into a shopping and leisure centre.
Chelsea also unveiled plans to build a new 60,000-capacity stadium at the Bridge and even received full planning permission from Hammersmith and Fulham Council in 2017.
However, this was put “on hold” in 2018 and “no further pre-construction design and planning work was undertaken”.
Chelsea said the main reason the 60,000-seat project was not going ahead was the “current unfavourable investment climate”.
The club's plans for a new home were put on hold once again when Abramovich sold the club in 2022 following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
