Behdad Eghbali has immediate Stamford Bridge plan ready for Chelsea exit - 'It's first on the agenda'

Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali is ready to sign off on a phased redevelopment of Stamford Bridge once Todd Boehly has sold his shares in the club.

That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that the issue of redevelopment is a huge priority for Clearlake and Eghbali.

The dilemma over how to handle the future of the Blues' stadium has split the ownership in recent years, with several site options for a new home having already been considered.

However, with Boehly and his ally Mark Walter likely to step away from the club in the coming months, Wyness expects Eghbali's redevelopment desire to come to the fore.

He believes that is the clear preference for Clearlake rather than a total move away from Stamford Bridge, and feels that it would be the top priority for them if they gain total control of the club.

However, the Scottish businessman also acknowledged that any sort of building work is costly and challenging in the context of the West London landscape.

Stamford Bridge upgrade is Clearlake's entire agenda

Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that the importance of a stadium upgrade at Chelsea simply cannot be understated.

The Blues currently have the smallest ground within the recognised 'big six' clubs, which does not help their cuase when it comes to revenue streams and their SCR standing.

Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, Wyness explained why Clearlake see it as their entire agenda at the moment.

"I don't think it'll be the first thing on the agenda. I think it is the agenda for Chelsea, to be honest," he said.

"I know we've had the Earl's Court debate before, and then we've had the whole rebuilding of Stamford Bridge in phases; there's the whole Chelsea pitch owners situation, the whole thing.

"It does seem to me that in the end it's going to go back to a phased development of Stamford Bridge now, with the Eghbali group likely to take power. 

"Clearlake were in favour of that more, and I think that's where it may end up, but they've got to resolve that issue.

"But in West London nothing's easy in terms of property and real estate. So that's just the club they bought into."

Chelsea could 'move to Wembley for two years'

Former Manchester City financial advisor Stefan Borson told Football Insider last week that Chelsea could potentially "move to Wembley" for two years if they opted to redevelop Stamford Bridge.

The football finance expert suggested that two years would be the minimum requirement for the porject to be completed, with the full extent of any work likely to take up to three or four seasons.

Borson believes that it is not "impossible" that Chelsea could play at the national stadium in future, but he also acknowledged that it would be a "very expensive" option.

He also warned that any redevelopment work would cost an "absolute fortune" in the West London area.