Chelsea willing to pay extra to keep Spurs out of Wembley -- report

While our on-pitch news have been generally bad lately, we can take some solace in our off-pitch dealings, especially when it comes to our unique new stadium and how that might even enable us to troll Tottenham Hotspur.  Spurs are building a new stadium as well -- theirs is the more garden variety gleaming toilet seat spaceship from the future design -- and just like Chelsea, will need to relocate for a short while.  Just like Chelsea, they would prefer to do so to Wembley as well.  As one might imagine, the two clubs' simultaneous interest makes this anything but a straightforward option.

The latest development in this regard comes from the Telegraph, who report that Chelsea are putting forward a £60 million, four-year bid to have Wembley Stadium as our temporary home while Stamford Bridge is under construction.  The £500 million re-build of our one and only home is expected to take three years, but Chelsea are willing to give an extra year in the Wembley deal as insurance in case any delays occur in the works. The £60 million deal over four years -- guaranteed? -- also trumps the potential windfall that, as previously reported, the FA could receive from three years of rent from Chelsea, plus a year or two of rent from Spurs (£44-55m).  Previous figures were based on a yearly rent of £11m, but now it appears we're willing to go as high as £15m.

It's unclear whether Spurs can or want to match that.  Their initial offer was just £8m.  In addition, Chelsea aren't keen on a groundshare at all, even if it's only for a single season. And despite Tottenham president Daniel Levy's claim in a Supporters' Trust meeting that The FA know they must "treat clubs equally", Chelsea's better deal in overall terms might end Spurs' chances of having Wembley as a temporary home.

To make matters worse for Tottenham, London's Olympic Stadium could also be unavailable as West Ham have the power to veto Spurs out of a groundshare there. Spurs' only option left then would be Milton Keynes's Stadium mk, which is located outside of London, is quite a bit smaller, and faces great opposition from Tottenham fans themselves.

It remains to be seen whether Chelsea will be able to pull off this exclusive deal, although according to Daniel Levy himself, it was the prospect of a long-term deal from Chelsea, as opposed to just a single year from Spurs, that eased The FA into the possibility of lending Wembley to a club in the first place.  With the national football stadium seemingly our one and only realistic option -- Twickenham's iconic rugby pitch is out -- we can probably start looking forward to having home games at this iconic venue first, then at our very own future-iconic venue later, while resigning Spurs to a rather familiar fate...