Chelsea have offered £11 million a year to use Wembley Stadium as a temporary home while Stamford Bridge is redeveloped, outbidding London rivals Tottenham.
Spurs, who will need a venue for one year from 2017 while their new stadium is built, are believed to have offered £8 million a year to use the national stadium.
But, according to The Times, Chelsea have outbid them in an effort to secure use of Wembley for three seasons, most likely from the beginning of the 2017-18 campaign.
Because of restrictions on the number of events that can be held at the iconic north London stadium each year, capacity will be limited to 50,000, equivalent to keeping Wembley’s top tier closed off.
Chelsea approached the Rugby Football Union last summer with a view to using Twickenham, the 82,000-capacity home of the England rugby team, as a temporary home. But a number of obstacles were put in their path, including obtaining planning permission for an increase in events, objections from local residents and issues about segregation between fans.
Wembley would be a much better alternative for Chelsea despite it being located outside of their traditional heartland.
Their superior offer leaves Spurs still in need of an alternative venue when they leave White Hart Lane and work begins on a new arena adjacent to it.
