Todd Boehly breaks Roman Abramovic Chelsea curse as he steps up his £1bn effort to revamp Stamford Bridge
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Chelsea has put in a bid to buy a priceless £50 million land close to its stadium.
Todd Boehly, the property’s owner, submitted his proposal before the statutory deadline for submission of offers earlier this month.
The website is thought to be a crucial first step in the club’s planned $1 billion renovation of Stamford Bridge.
The land is owned by Housing association Stoll, which offers 157 assisted dwellings for veterans of the armed forces.
In October, Stoll listed the vast majority of its two-acre property for sale.
Although a decision is anticipated to be made in the New Year, it is unknown if there are competing offers for the property.
Chelsea is eager to purchase the property because their expansion plans are constrained by Stamford Bridge’s close proximity to other structures and railway tracks.
The offer comes just days after Chelsea announced plans for a significant renovation of Stamford Bridge, allaying concerns that the team will move to a different stadium.
Boehly promised the stadium freeholder that he would extend the pitch rather than relocate the team.
The Chelsea Pitch Owners shareholder group, which holds the freehold of the London club’s stadium, declared: “The new owners have committed to redeveloping the stadium.”
Before listing the land for sale, Stoll began a five-month dialogue with the neighborhood’s residents.
The association will consider all available options over the next few weeks.
When Sportsmail disclosed that former owner Roman Abramovich had made a covert payment to Stoll thought to be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds in 2018, it raised questions about Chelsea’s relationship with the association.
The organisation then decided to keep nearly 30 of its apartments empty rather than give houses to vulnerable ex-soldiers, a decision that is thought to have helped Abramovich’s ambitions for a new stadium.
Since fewer former soldiers were living there to voice their concerns about the proposal, Stoll discontinued its opposition to the stadium.
Eventually, Abramovich and Stoll reached an agreement to sell a portion of the land for £50 million, but the transaction fell through when the Russian’s ambitions for a $1 billion stadium were postponed.
The Stamford Bridge stands will be updated and replaced one at a time, according to Boehly. Bulldozing the hotel at the Shed End is another possibility.
The American has commissioned Los Angeles-based architect Janet Marie Smith, who assisted with the renovation of Dodger Stadium, to provide recommendations. Before the season is through, the team is not anticipated to reveal any designs.
