Prospective Chelsea buyers put off by £1billion cost of rebuilding Stamford Bridge

Prospective buyers of Chelsea have been put off by the extra £1billion they believe it will cost to cure the club’s Stamford Bridge headache.

Telegraph Sport knows of at least two groups that have been weighing up a bid for Chelsea, but regard Stamford Bridge as a huge stumbling block to any deal.

With buyers looking at having to pay in excess of £2bn to buy Chelsea, the prospect of having to spend around an extra £1bn, including all the associated costs, to rebuild Stamford Bridge is causing some to rethink.

While buying Chelsea represents a rare chance for somebody to get their hands on one of Europe’s top clubs, the only opportunity for growth is to redevelop or move away from Stamford Bridge.

One source told Telegraph Sport: “The big problem at Chelsea is the stadium. A £2bn deal is really a £3bn deal, as at some point you’ve got to redevelop Stamford Bridge.”

While there have been claims that there are up to 10 parties and individuals showing serious interest in making a bid for Chelsea before the March 15 deadline set by the merchant bank, Raine, a number of groups and individuals linked with an offer have already ruled themselves out with calls going into owners across all American sports. 

The March 15 deadline for bids is now the same date that Britain will be able to sanction hundreds of individuals if emergency legislation is passed as scheduled, according to foreign minister Liz Truss.

It remains to be seen if that convinces Roman Abramovich, who has faced calls from MPs to be sanctioned, to consider bids earlier than that date. The group led by LA Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly, who are currently rated as the frontrunners, are thought to have already made a proposal to buy Chelsea and have not been put off