Chelsea and Spurs in race to rent Wembley while their stadiums are redeveloped

Chelsea have only held preliminary discussions with Wembley about using the national stadium whilst their Stamford Bridge home is redeveloped, Press Association Sport understands.

Some reports on Tuesday suggested an eight-figure fee had already been offered by the reigning Premier League champions as they look at options for a temporary home.

Wembley is seen as Chelsea's preferred option but there are other venues, such as Twickenham, which could host their fixtures and are being looked at.

But as formal consultations are still to take place, let alone any planning permission being granted, Chelsea cannot take their discussions forward at this point as the exact dates they would need to occupy another stadium are not yet known – although a three-year period has been mooted.

Tottenham have also looked into the prospect of moving into Wembley as their new stadium is built in the shadow of current home White Hart Lane.

One issue for both clubs would be the cap on Wembley's 90,000 capacity – with the stadium only licensed by Brent Council to host a certain number of full-seater events each year.

Spurs have also looked at spending the 2017/18 campaign at stadium:mk – the home of Sky Bet Championship side MK Dons.

But if both clubs decide Wembley is their first-choice option it is likely the period of time they require the site will clash – meaning one of them would miss out.