Chelsea new stadium twist emerges with £650m incentive as Stamford Bridge decision awaits

The RFU, Rugby Football Union, are open to hosting Chelsea home games at Twickenham for up to seven years if the club chooses to redevelop Stamford Bridge, a new report has claimed.

It has become quite clear in recent years, with rivals building new stadiums or increasing their capacity, that are being left behind. currently holds a maximum of 44,000, but with the demand there, the club could certainly welcome in thousands more.

However, there are legal ramifications and barriers preventing that from being a simple decision. If the Blues are to stay in SW6, a decision must be made whether to add seats to one stand or build a new ground from scratch.

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If the latter, a temporary home would need to be located, and potentially the perfect option has become clear. According to the RFU would be open to the lucrative idea of Twickenham becoming exactly that, but do expect that Richmond upon Thames borough council would block the move.

The home of England Rugby was a serious option for in 2014 but that proposal never really got off the ground. Wembley or a groundshare with close neighbours Fulham have recently been mooted as options if the plan to rebuild Stamford Bridge is green-lit.

It is perhaps no surprise the RFU have seemingly made their interest clear with the £650million redevelopment of the 80,000-seater stadium in the works and thus funding from non-rugby events is desperately needed.

Conversations are already said to be taking place between the RFU and Richmond upon Thames borough council over increasing their limit for non-rugby events from 3 to 15 in order to compete with and the to host concerts.

Though an approach from Chelsea is yet to be made, both parties could be keen on the move, but continuing to play at Stamford Bridge while a new stadium is built on the patch of land at Earl's Court just round the corner may be the best option.

However, time is running out on that route, as . Twickenham therefore seems a serious option, with Bill Sweeney, the RFU chief executive, at least hopeful the local council would be interested in discussing the move.

“The licence would allow it to happen," he said. “It would be a big financial number, but Richmond would definitely want a conversation about it.” For football to be played at Twickenham, support from the council, due to additional transport needs and policing implications, would be required.