The cost is believed to be in excess of £1bn
Potential new buyers of Chelsea have been put off by the excessive cost it would take to rebuild Stamford Bridge – with the sum estimated to be around the £1bn mark.
As explained by the The Telegraph, there are at least two credible parties who are interested in taking over the European Champions but consider Stamford Bridge to be the main stumbling block.
Any prospective buyer faces paying a fee of £2bn to take the club off current owner Roman Abramovich – who announced he was selling the club after two decades of ownership last week – but will be required to spend another £1bn in order to revamp the home of Chelsea.
The west London club have been granted permission to build a new stadium on the current site of Stamford Bridge – meaning they would have to relocate for at least three years to allow time for the rebuild.
Chelsea’s current capacity lies at 41, 837 seats, with their match day income significantly blown out of the water by rivals Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as the likes of West Ham United, Manchester City and Liverpool.
There has also been claims that there are up to 10 interested parties in making a bid for Chelsea before the March 15 deadline set by the merchant bank, Raine, however several of those are now rumoured to be out of the running.
Instead calls have been made across the American sports market in order to find a buyer with a group led by the part-owner of the baseball franchise the LA Dodgers, Todd Boehly, said to be interested in a bid for the club.
Related links:
- Conor McGregor confirms he’s serious about Chelsea as Abramovich departs
- Chelsea fans chant Roman Abramovich’s name during minute’s applause for Ukraine
- Explained: What if Abramovich can’t sell Chelsea?
