Chelsea could still leave Stamford Bridge despite an £80million land deal.

Stamford Bridge redevelopment will be Chelsea fans' top choice Photo: Hannah Mackay/Reuters

Chelsea still looking for opportunity move away from Stamford Bridge, despite the club receiving confirmation that the purchase of the site next to the current stadium for £80 million will go ahead.

CEO Chris Jurasek is believed to be particularly keen on continuing to explore the idea of ​​Chelsea leaving its traditional home, and this month announced the appointment of a new chief operating officer, Jason Gannon, who served as managing director of SoFi Stadium in California.< /p>

Co-owners Behdad Eghbali and Todd Boehli have not yet made a final decision, and workable options to remain at Stamford Bridge and rebuild the existing stadium, or move to a new site and build a new stadium, remain open.

p>Following consultations, veterans' housing provider Stoll agreed to sell the majority of the 1.2-acre site next to Stamford Bridge to Chelsea. The club's bid, put forward by board member Jonathan Goldstein, beat out competition from 12 other bidders.

The sale is expected to take place early next year, but Chelsea do not intend to take possession of the site until late 2025 at the earliest because the club agreed a leaseback period to ensure residents were not forced to leave their homes immediately.

The purchase of Chelsea's stadium is a boost to any plans to remain at the redeveloped Stamford Bridge, but no decision has yet been made on the club's stadium in the near future and whether to remain at the current stadium is still being considered. or build a new stadium at a new location.

Chelsea's new chief operating officer oversaw construction of $6 billion SoFi Stadium In Los Angeles. Photo: AP Photo/Kyusung Gong

Jurasek, who is already unpopular with some fans, is believed to be particularly interested in completely reconsidering the possibility of leaving Stamford Bridge before Chelsea makes a decision.

Although staying put and rebuilding Stamford Bridge would be the overwhelmingly popular choice of fans attending matches, significant obstacles remain — not least where the club will play and for how long during the recovery.

This has already happened. It is estimated that Stamford Bridge will take at least five years to rebuild on its current site, meaning Chelsea will likely have to play their home games at Wembley, Twickenham or Fulham's Craven Cottage in the meantime. «.

The move to the New Site will allow Chelsea to continue to play at their traditional stadium while the new stadium is built, but any move will need to be given the green light by Chelsea's ground owners' organisation.

At least 75 percent of the CPO will have to vote in favor of moving to a new stadium for Chelsea's owners to be able to move the club and keep the same name. The organization has experienced tremendous growth in recent years and now has approximately 14,000 shareholders from 44 different countries.

Chelsea finds inspiration in Los Angeles

As part of Jurasek's reform of Chelsea, Gannon was appointed chief operating officer. He previously served as Managing Director of Sophie Stadium, the stunning home of the NFL's Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers.

Gannon is now expected to play a leading role in the club's stadium plans, although it was Goldstein who secured the purchase of the Stoll site and Janet Marie Smith, executive vice president of planning and development for the LA Dodgers, who are still believed to be involved. .

Jurasek has already become a controversial figure. among fans by eliminating subsidized bus travel for fans to away games and introducing premium ticket prices for matches, such as the exorbitantly expensive clubhouse for which fans pay over £1,000 to sit next to coaching staff and substitute players.< /p>

Sources. Those outside Chelsea who deal with the club also questioned the football knowledge of Jurasek, who had never worked in sports before and was an executive director at Clearlake Capital, a company owned by two of Chelsea's owners, Eghbali and Jose Feliciano.< /p >

Jurasek did not respond to Telegraph Sport's request to explain his role at Chelsea.