Chelsea hold new stadium talks with Mayor of London as club considers future switch

Chelsea have opened talks with Mayor of London Sadiq Khan as they continue to make plans for a potential stadium move. There has been speculation over a move away from Stamford Bridge in the past, to no avail, but new plans have begun to tentatively take hold.

Former owner Roman Abramovich looked at a number of potential locations before his own departure in 2022. Plans for a move haven't changed under Todd Boehly's ownership, with the American recognising the capacity limitations of the Blues' current home.

According to The Telegraph, Chelsea held meetings with officials following an invitation from the mayor himself. The club are exploring a site on Earl's Court in West London, though a spokesperson for Khan indicated no formal plans were known to the elected official.

“The mayor is unaware of any recent formal proposals from the club for the Earl’s Court site," they said. "The mayor and TfL can only form a view once they have seen the details of any potential proposals.”

Back in May, shareholder Hansjorg Wyss indicated the Earl's Court site would likely suit the club best. "Earl’s Court would be the best option we can even think of. If it’s going to happen," he told Chelsea Fan TV.

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Chelsea's current home has a capacity of just over 40,000 - making it significantly smaller than the grounds of some of their Premier League rivals. In sending out an invitation for contact, Mayor Khan cited the size of the ground in relation to the club's objectives.

"My message to Chelsea is come and speak to us in relation to what you want to do," he told The Times in April. "Chelsea are the victims of their success, and Stamford Bridge is now too small for them. After all, this is a team that has twice won the Champions League.

"We work closely with all seven of our Premier League clubs but I'm sure Chelsea look with some envy at the stadiums some of their rivals in London have. We're really keen to make sure that Chelsea, as we are with all our clubs, continue to flourish and thrive, so we're open to talking to Chelsea about what plans they have. At the moment they've not approached us. But we're here.”

Back in March, Boehly suggested divisions over the club's future stadium plans could even see members of the ownership group go their separate ways. “We have to think long term about what we’re trying to accomplish,” the American told Bloomberg.

“We have a big stadium development opportunity that we have to flesh out. And that’s going to be where we’re either aligned or we ultimately decide to go different ways.”

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