Battersea a no-go for Chelsea

Chelsea’s hopes of moving to Battersea Power Station have been extinguished after a Malaysian consortium completed a £400 million (€501m) purchase of the London landmark.

The European champions are considering moving away from Stamford Bridge and had lodged a bid to move to the iconic 39-acre site on the south bank of the River Thames.

The west Londoners released plans in May that detailed how they hoped to turn the derelict site in to a 60,000-seater stadium incorporating the four famous chimneys.

Administrators Ernst & Young revealed last month that they had shunned the Blues’ offer, optinginstead to name a Malaysian consortium as the preferred bidders.

And after a 28-day due diligence process, the consortium’s bid has been rubber-stamped, meaning Chelsea will have to look elsewhere for a new home.

“Following a global marketing process that started in February 2012 and covered all major world wealth centres, a consortium comprising SP Setia, Sime Darby and the Employees’ Pension Fund of Malaysia have exchanged contracts on the (Battersea) site for £400m,” a statement from Ernst & Young read.

The consortium have planning consent to build 3,500 homes and 1.7 million square feet of office space.

They also plan to build a tube station on the premises that will connect to the Northern Line.

Last year Chelsea failed in their bid to buy back the freehold of the 42,000-capacity Stamford Bridge from supporters group Chelsea Pitch Owners.