Chelsea could move to the home of rugby at Twickenham while Stamford Bridge is upgraded

CHELSEA are exploring the possibility of moving to Twickenham, home of English rugby, while Stamford Bridge is being developed.

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 12: General view during an attempt by England Rugby 2015 to break the World Record for the number of people in a Rugby Scrum at Twickenham Stadium on September 12, 2014 in London England. The world record attempt was to mark Rugby World Cup 2015 tickets going on sale and featured over 1000 people representing each Rugby World Cup 2015 match venue and host city, current players, ex-players and stakeholders. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images for England Rugby 2015)

CHELSEA are exploring the possibility of moving to Twickenham, home of English rugby, while Stamford Bridge is being redeveloped, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) revealed on Sunday.

Chelsea announced plans to expand their stadium in June and although no dates for any work have been set out, the RFU says it has been contacted by the London club over the temporary use of Twickenham, which seats 82,000 people.

“We are regularly contacted by a variety of organisations, within and outside sport, on a wide range of opportunities concerning use of what we believe is a world-class stadium,” the RFU said in a statement.

“We have had an enquiry from Chelsea FC, but have not had any discussions of any substance.

“While we don’t comment on any specific confidential conversations, each request is taken on its merit, assessing a variety of factors, such as the effect on the pitch, availability, transport and local considerations and other important implications.” Twickenham has previously turned down approaches from football clubs seeking to use the ground for short periods, such as when Fulham were looking for a temporary home in 2001.

Stamford Bridge is full every week.

However, the Scottish Rugby Union allowed Celtic to play European games at Murrayfield while Celtic Park and Hampden, Scotland’s national football stadium, were being used during this year’s Commonwealth Games.

Chelsea’s London rivals Tottenham Hotspur are also currently looking for a temporary home for the 2017-18 season due to delays in the construction of their new stadium.

Stamford Bridge’s capacity is 41,837, meaning Chelsea struggle to compete with rivals such as Manchester United and Arsenal when it comes to generating match-day revenue.

United’s Old Trafford home seats 75,731 people and Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium holds 60,338.

Originally published as Chelsea could move to the home of rugby at Twickenham while Stamford Bridge is upgraded