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Fresh stadium delays for Chelsea

Chelsea's stadium redevelopment plans have been hit by a further delay with the date for moving out of Stamford Bridge being put back to 2021. The club were hoping that their re-built stadium would open for the start of the 2021-22 season. However, it is a complex project and there have been delays with planning applications and infrastructure work.

Chelsea officials told a fans' forum in November that they would stay at least two seasons beyond the present one at Stamford Bridge, but they are now planning to stay for another three years. It has been put back another year because of the complex nature of the pre-demolition work, which involves acquiring small pieces of land next to the ground and obtaining a succession of planning permissions.

Chelsea estimate that the building work will take three years, but the scale of the project means that it could take four. The club have spent most of the last 15 years attempting to relocate to a new site or expand Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea have yet to finalise where they will play while they are away from Stamford Bridge with Wembley being their preferred option ahead of Twickenham and the London Stadium.

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