Chelsea look set to purchase a neighbouring 1.2 acre Sir Oswald Stoll Mansions site in a bid to expand the Stamford Bridge stadium.
Stoll will enter a nine-week consultation period with residents, who have sold their properties for an estimated £50million.
Sources insist that all options remain open for the development of a new stadium for Chelsea.
The purchase of the site was an opportunity that needed to be taken after the charity looked to raise funds and move location.
It doesn’t, however, mean that Chelsea have decided for certain to remain at Stamford Bridge.
A variety of plans are still being worked on and are expected to be presented to fans later this year.
Chelsea Pitch Owners (CPO), a group of shareholders who own the pitch at Stamford Bridge, have veto power over any potential move away from the current site in Fulham Broadway, and would have to see 75 percent of shareholders agree any potential move.
The Board of Trustees for Stoll confirmed they received 13 offers and took six months weighing up the offers before deciding to sell the plot to Chelsea.
Chair of Trustees Air Vice-Marshal (retired) Ray Lock said: “The Board assessed many factors, and concluded that the Chelsea FC ownership group offered the strongest bid in terms of how it would support Stoll and our residents during the process, its financial offer which would secure the future sustainability of the organisation and its understanding of the charity and the importance of continuing to have a positive impact on veterans’ lives for generations to come.”
A final decision over whether to accept Chelsea’s offer will be announced by the club after the nine-week period.
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