Chelsea's dream of relocating to a new 60,000-seat stadium in the London district of Earl's Court "is back on the cards," according to Alex Miller of the London DAILY MAIL. Chelsea is "now expected to be invited to bid for a 17-acre plot in the area that is scheduled to be put up for sale at the end of this year." The site, called Lillie Bridge, is owned by Transport for London (TfL) and "currently used as a railway depot." It was "expected to be included in a 77-acre redevelopment of the wider area, called Earl's Court Masterplan." However, TfL said a sale to Masterplan developers Capco ''was not on the table'' and that any sale would be on the open market. A bidding war between Chelsea Owner Roman Abramovich and Capco for Lillie Bridge is possible, "in which case Abramovich's desire to move, understood to be strong, is the only factor that will matter." It "is unclear whether discussions between Abramovich and TfL have already taken place." The site would fetch an estimated £200M ($305M). Should Chelsea move, it "would recoup substantial sums from the redevelopment of Stamford Bridge as it sits in one of London's most exclusive areas." Acquiring Lillie Bridge "would enable the club to build a 60,000-seat stadium." Stamford Bridge has a capacity of 41,000, and the club has estimated it would cost £600M ($914M) "to construct a bigger stadium on the 13-acre site" (DAILY MAIL, 6/8).
