West Ham’s "deal of the century with the Olympic Stadium also includes a significant discount" on its "peppercorn" rent in the event of a future football club groundshare, according to Charles Sale of the London DAILY MAIL. This "remains a possibility" with Chelsea in recent talks with the London Legacy Development Corp. about going to Stratford if its agreement with Wembley breaks down.
Wembley "remains Chelsea’s preferred option" for its three-year relocation from Stamford Bridge while its new ground is being built and a £20M ($28M)-a-year rent has been agreed with the FA. But nothing will be decided until the club receives planning permission from Hammersmith Council, "which could take until September." Meanwhile, Chelsea is "covering all bases with discussions last year with Twickenham and now over the last couple of months with the LLDC." West Ham, which played its last Premier League match at Upton Park on Tuesday night, "would have to agree to a shared tenancy with Chelsea." The contract terms state that it "would need to have a strong case to oppose such a potential deal, which would be more preferable for West Ham" than sharing with archrival Tottenham. The LLDC would, however, "charge Chelsea a considerably higher rent" than West Ham’s £2.5M ($3.6M)-a-year terms -- because of the extra wear and tear to the pitch (DAILY MAIL, 5/10).
