Football
ESPN staff 9y

Chelsea hold preliminary Wembley rent discussions, haven't made offer

Chelsea have only held preliminary discussions with Wembley about using the national stadium whilst their Stamford Bridge home is redeveloped.

Some reports on Tuesday suggested an eight-figure fee had already been offered by the reigning Premier League champions as they look at options for a temporary home.

Wembley is seen as Chelsea's preferred option but there are other venues, such as Twickenham, which could host their fixtures and are being looked at.

But as formal consultations are still to take place, let alone any planning permission being granted, Chelsea cannot take their discussions forward at this point as the exact dates they would need to occupy another stadium are not yet known -- although a three-year period has been mooted.

Tottenham have also looked into the prospect of moving into Wembley as their new stadium is built in the shadow of current home White Hart Lane.

One issue for both clubs would be the cap on Wembley's 90,000 capacity -- with the stadium only licensed by Brent Council to host a certain number of full-seater events each year.

Spurs have also looked at spending the 2017-18 campaign at stadium:mk -- the home of Sky Bet Championship side MK Dons.

But if both clubs decide Wembley is their first-choice option it is likely the period of time they require the site will clash -- meaning one of them would miss out.

The Times earlier reported Tuesday that Chelsea were ready to pay £11 million a year to use the stadium

In addition, the newspaper said the Blues made the offer to Wembley Stadium's board and were leading the race over Spurs, who they say offered £8 million a year, to occupy the ground.

The Premier League champions are set to hold a public consultation on their Stamford Bridge redevelopment plans in September and to lodge a planning application with the local council in December.

Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron has already unveiled its plans for the new-look Stamford Bridge, which is set to see capacity increase from 42,000 to 60,000.

Architect Jacques Herzog told The Guardian the stadium would feel like "a castle, or a medieval walled village ... something you wouldn't find anywhere else."

He said: "We have tried to make it a place where people will really feel at home. I've never had that feeling so strongly as when I saw my first games in Liverpool and Manchester, how much you have this sense of a club's identity in the stadium in England -- more than anywhere else in Europe."

He added: "It's about creating something unique. Like Anfield -- that is certainly not a nice stadium, but it has this amazing tradition."

Press Association contributed to this report.

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