Chelsea urged to start stadium talks as Twickenham issues revealed amid Stamford Bridge dilemma | OneFootball

Temporary move to Twickenham unlikely to receive support from local council

Big decisions: Chelsea must decide whether to rebuild Stamford Bridge or move elsewhere

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Sadiq Khan has urged Chelsea to start conversations over their stadium plans, with the club likely to face council opposition if they attempt to temporarily relocate to Twickenham.

RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney has suggested Richmond council would be reluctant to allow that, but Mayor of London Khan is keen to hold discussions with Chelsea and offer support.

“My message to Chelsea is come and speak to us in relation to what you want to do,” Khan told The Times.

“Chelsea are the victims of their success, and Stamford Bridge is now too small for them. After all, this is a team that has twice won the Champions League.

“We work closely with all seven of our Premier League clubs but I’m sure Chelsea look with some envy at the stadiums some of their rivals in London have.

“We’re really keen to make sure that Chelsea, as we are with all our clubs, continue to flourish and thrive, so we’re open to talking to Chelsea about what plans they have. At the moment they’ve not approached us. But we’re here.”

A move to Twickenham would generate income for the RFU at a time when it is considering its own stadium improvements and is contending with record losses.

While the RFU would be open to an approach from the Blues, approval from Richmond upon Thames Council could prove difficult.

RFU would be keen to hosting Chelsea matches at Twickenham

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"The licence would allow it to happen and there have been conversations previously about Premier League clubs coming here. Richmond council, Richmond borough, is more concerned about that," Sweeney said.

"It would be a big financial number, but I know Richmond borough would definitely have a conversation about that.

"I just think, in terms of impact on local residents, numbers of fans and so on, they'd be a little bit more sensitive. It may depend on which club it is."

Sweeney caused a stir in March when he suggested that England may be forced to relocate from Twickenham to Milton Keynes or Birmingham because of licence restrictions over staging concerts.

Major events such as Beyonce concerts - which the RFU has missed out on in the past - are seen as a key revenue stream to help fund the planned £663million redevelopment of Twickenham, due to start in 2027.

However, Richmond upon Thames Council limits the number of non-sporting events that can be held at the 82,000-capacity ground to three a year, with a maximum crowd of 55,000 in attendance.

"We're making great progress with that," Sweeney said. "The conversations with Richmond council have been positive.

"They see the value that we bring to the area and they understand why we need to have more non-rugby events when you compare it to Tottenham, Wembley, the O2. They can see why we need those non-rugby events to make the thing viable.

"We've always said our preference was to remain here. Not just for cultural reasons and the history, but because hospitality and ticketing are 50 per cent of our revenue.

"And from a geographical point of view, this is a really important part of the country to be in."