Explained: Why Chelsea could still leave Stamford Bridge despite striking £80m deal to buy neighbouring land for stadium redevelopment

The Blues purchased the plot of land next to their current stadium in July but the Daily Telegraph now reports that the Blues are continuing to look into the prospect of moving. Chief executive Chris Jurasek is said to be driving the prospect of a relocation.

Were they to remain, they would have to commit to revamping the current facilities at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea will not take possession of the land they acquired until 2025 but the purchase has boosted fan hopes of Stamford Bridge being redeveloped. However, there remain significant stumbling blocks to that potential plan.

Any rebuild of Stamford Bridge could take as long as five years, meaning the Blues would need to find another stadium to play their games in. They could potentially ground-share with local rivals Fulham at Craven Cottage, or follow Tottenham's example and move into Wembley, but moving to a new site would allow them to keep playing at Stamford Bridge until the construction was complete.

They cannot leave without the approval of the Chelsea Pitch Owners organisation. As many as 75% of 14,000 members would have to vote for the move to go through.

The decision over what to do about Stamford Bridge has been drawn out for some time. Having now acquired the land, they have at least taken the next step towards a redevelopment of the current site.