Chelsea make bid to acquire key £50m site next to Stamford Bridge

Chelsea have made an offer to acquire a key £50million site adjacent to their property.

Owner Todd Boehly made the bid for the 3-acre lot before an official bidding deadline earlier this month.

The site is seen as an important step towards the club’s £1billion revamp of Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea have made a bid for a key £50m site next to their Stamford Bridge site

The property belongs to the Stoll housing association, which provides 157 serviced apartments for Bundeswehr soldiers.

Stoll put most of its two-acre property up for sale in October.

It’s unclear if there are competing bids for the country – a decision is expected to be announced in the new year.

Chelsea are keen to grab the land as their expansion plans are hampered by Stamford Bridge, which is tightly fenced in by buildings and railway lines.

The offer comes days after Chelsea committed to a massive redevelopment of Stamford Bridge – ending fears the club will move to a new stadium.

Earlier this month, owner Todd Boehly committed to a major makeover of Stamford Bridge as the Blues abandoned plans to move from the site to a new stadium site

Chelsea have been looking for ways to expand Stamford Bridge’s 40,341 capacity for many years

Boehly promised the stadium’s owner to expand the site instead of moving the club to a new location.

The shareholder group that owns the London club’s stadium, Chelsea Pitch Owners, said: “The new owners are committed to redeveloping the stadium.”

Stoll began a five-month consultation with residents before listing the land for sale.

The club will consider what the best option is for its residents over the coming weeks.

Chelsea’s relationship with the FA sparked controversy in 2018 when we revealed former owner Roman Abramovich had made a secret payment to Stoll estimated at hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Former owner Roman Abramovich had plans for a new £1bn stadium until shelved

The charity then left nearly 30 of its apartments vacant rather than providing homes for at-risk former soldiers, a move believed to have smoothed out Abramovich’s plans for a new stadium.

Stoll dropped his objections to the stadium as fewer ex-servicemen lived there to complain about the project.

Abramovich and Stoll eventually agreed a £50million sale for part of the site before the deal collapsed when the Russian’s plans for a £1billion stadium were put on hold.

Boehly intends to gradually upgrade and replace the stands at Stamford Bridge. That could bulldoze the hotel at the Shed End, too.

The American has hired architect Janet Marie Smith, who helped renovate Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, to make recommendations. The club is not expected to release designs before the end of the season.