Chelsea's £2bn Stamford Bridge redevelopment 'won't start until 2027

Chelsea will not be able to break ground a potential redevelopment of Stamford Bridge until at least 2027, according to reports.

Wednesday saw the completion of the club's purchase of the Sir Oswald Stoll Mansions just over six months after agreeing the £80million sale with the charity in October of last year.

The buildings currently house 100 military veterans, and negotiations over the sale have been ongoing due to concerns from the residents over where they will move to should the deal go through.

But while uncertainty remains over whether Chelsea's ownership group BlueCo will relocate to a new site altogether in lieu of renovations at their current ground, this week's purchase has boosted the possibility of the proposed £2billion upgrades going ahead.

Despite acquiring the land necessary for potential expansion, Blues supporters should not expect progress to be swift - regardless of whether they stay at their ground or move elsewhere.

As per the Evening Standard, Chelsea are not set to take possession of the site on which the flats are built until 2027, due to the need to rehouse their current occupants during the leaseback period.

Stoll's CEO Will Campbell-Wroe confirmed that the charity has found new accomodation a 'seven minute's walk' from the apartments and that after months of discussions, they have 'a lot of happy residents'.

'We chose Chelsea partly because they have been helpful and supportive,' Will Campbell-Wroe said. 'We have been next to Chelsea for 100 years and hope to be for the next 100 years. Both Stoll and Chelsea understood the moral obligation, and we are keen to build out that relationship. It is a long-term community relationship as well as the commercial transaction.'

'We met every single resident for over an hour, I met 30 about myself and we thought what we might want for our families. They wanted somewhere close by where they could all live as a community where we can look after and continue looking after them.

'We have been doing this for over 100 years and we knew we couldn't keep the building going for another 100 years so we needed to find another building,' he continued. 'Over the last six months, we've been looking for that good quality accommodation close to the Stoll Mansions site.

'We have found that half a mile away, seven minute's walk away where everyone can move together on a flagship site on the Old Kings Road. We feel we have a lot of happy residents now we have found the right solution in the end.'

The time delay gives the club ample time to decide on its future home, with a full stadium rebuild, stand-by-stand redevelopment, and a new site all still in the balance.

Should Chelsea plump to renovate their existing west London home, however, elements of the Sir Oswald Mansions would have to be integrated into the design, due to the building's Grade II-listed status.

Stoll are also set to retain 20 flats on site for the retired veterans who have served in conflicts in Korea, Northern Ireland, and Afghanistan.

With news of the sale going through, the club's COO James Gannon said that the club were 'delighted to increase our footprint at Stamford Bridge'.

'(The sale takes) a significant step towards ensuring the long-term financial sustainability of the club,' he added.

'We appreciate the opportunity to work with Stoll throughout a competitive tender process and we are pleased to help ensure those veterans that wish to remain inside the Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham will be able to do so.'

Plans - which have been in the works on and off under the ownership of the Todd Boehly-led consortium and former owner Roman Abramovich - would see Stamford Bridge's current capacity of 41,000 raised to 60,000.

This would put Chelsea's stadium into the top six in the Premier League in terms of size, with only Manchester United, Tottenham, West Ham, Liverpool and Arsenal currently having grounds that can hold more matchgoers.

If the club was to plump for renovation, the Blues could expect to play away for up to four years, with Wembley, Twickenham, and Craven Cottage all floated as potential alternative stadia.

Boehly is believed to have held informal talks with Fulham's owner Shahid Khan about the possibility of groundsharing, but although representing the most convenient move just one mile down the road, a spell in Craven Cottage - capacity 25,700 - could see the Blues miss out on key revenue.

Should Chelsea's owners opt for a stand-by-stand refurbishment the work could take significantly longer than four to five years, and independent experts have called Chelsea's previously floated 2030 finish date 'optimistic'.