• It is prudent to look at the site again, say Chelsea
• Architectural firm hired to draw plans for 60,000-seat venue

Chelsea have appointed a leading developer to explore the feasibility of building a new stadium at the site of Battersea power station on the south bank of the Thames.

The Premier League club have yet to buy back the land upon which their current home is built from Chelsea Pitch Owners plc (CPO) – a company founded in 1993 to safeguard the then financially vulnerable London club’s future at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea would need to secure the freehold and sell that site before they would be in a financial position to switch to a new ground.

Yet the club have appointed Mike Hussey, chief executive of Almacantar, as their development partner to ensure they would not miss out should the area in Battersea emerge as the most viable option if they do indeed choose to relocate.

The architectural firm Kohn Pedersen Fox has been hired to draw up plans for the potential construction of an arena that would house between 55,000 and 60,000 spectators, to be situated to the south-east of the Grade II listed power station, with commercial operations such as hotels and shops to be housed within the building. Any plans would have to be passed by Wandsworth council.

A Chelsea spokesman said: “In the past, we’ve talked to various people with interests in Battersea power station but we haven’t had any substantive discussions with anyone regarding that site for several months. However, in light of current developments, we now think it prudent to look again at the feasibility and potential for the Battersea power station site to be developed for a football stadium.

“We have made no decision to leave Stamford Bridge and we continue to discuss with the local council any economically viable options to expand the Bridge, but we will continue to investigate various options close to Stamford Bridge.”

Interest is maintained in land at the northern end of Earl’s Court, whose owner, Capital & Counties plc, is pursuing residential and commercial developments of the site, while White City, near the home of Queens Park Rangers, is another potential area.

The new instruction issued to Almacantar, a development firm set up by Hussey with backing from Italy’s Agnelli family, will add further intrigue to the complicated negotiations already surrounding the future of the power station. The site, owned by Real Estate Opportunities (REO) – itself largely owned by Treasury Holdings of Ireland – has been empty for nearly two decades. REO has been attempting to attract an equity investor for a year to fund a proposed £5.5bn redevelopment, yet the site is already saddled with around £300m of debt owed to Lloyds Banking Group and Ireland’s National Asset Management Agency. That debt can be called in at any time.

SP Setia, a Malaysian investor, has apparently offered to buy the senior debt for £255m at 85p in the pound, though agreement has yet to be reached between Lloyds and NAMA over those proposals. It is in that climate that Chelsea have formalised their interest in the area, though there is an acceptance that the club must seek to secure the freehold of Stamford Bridge if they are realistically to move to a new home.

Shareholders in CPO rejected the club’s proposals to buy back the pitch, the turnstiles and the land on which the stadium’s four stands are built at an extraordinary general meeting last month. Chelsea are considering how best to revisit that issue, though no new proposals are anticipated at CPO’s annual general meeting, which has been put back to January following a reshaping of the company’s board.

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A concerted campaign had been conducted by CPO shareholders aimed at blocking Chelsea’s plans – something achieved relatively comfortably at the EGM – with concerns subsequently raised by the Say No CPO group (SNCPO) over the bulk sale of shares once the club had made their proposals public. Solicitors working for SNCPO wrote to the Takeover Panel earlier this month expressing those worries, though the independent body has since indicated that no investigation is to be carried out.

A spokesperson for SNCPO added: “Given that Battersea power station falls within the three-mile radius as originally set out in the recent proposal put by Chelsea FC to Chelsea Pitch Owners, Say No CPO welcome the club’s potential interest in purchasing the site, as well as their continued efforts to explore options regarding the expansion of Stamford Bridge. We are, however, disappointed that the club did not take the opportunity of the EGM on 27 October to make their intentions clearer with regard to any potential relocation sites.”

ChelseaDominic Fifieldguardian.co.uk

Today’s Mill can see the wood for the poppies

The Mill is no fan of international breaks, never has been, never will. Out goes this country’s love of all things domestic, most notably transfer tittle-tattle, and in comes a whole load of patriotic piffle and posturing, three lions this, three lions that. Where, for Anelka’s sake, are the rumours?

This week things seem to have taken a turn for the worst. Alongside the usual worries and woe regarding the national team there is now a row raging over the wearing of poppies. Yes, poppies. It’s enough to make the heart sink to a new depth.

“POPPYCOCK” is how one newspaper is reporting the story this morning, while others speak of Fifa “banning” England from wearing the Remembrance Day symbols on their shirts during Saturday’s friendly with Spain. Just to make clear, Fifa is not “banning” anything. Rather, it is upholding a long-standing regulation which prevents international kits carrying “political, religious or commercial messages”. So can we all just calm down for a second and focus on more important matters, like the news that Didier Drogba is wanted by Milan.

Yes, thankfully there is space in today’s papers for some transfer juice and none more refreshing than the news that the Ivory Coast veteran could be leaving London for Italy in the new year. Milan, the Serie A champions, are short of a goalscorer following Antonio Cassano’s recent illness and feel Drogba could be the answer to their short-term prayers.

Should the 33-year-old depart from Stamford Bridge, then he may well miss out on the opportunity to play with Gary Cahill, who is wanted by Chelsea. Having seen a move to Spurs fall through during the summer, the defender is now desperate to leave Bolton in January and is supposedly enthused by the prospect of a switch to the deposed Premier League champions, who are willing to spend £8m on the 25-year-old.

What’s this, Jermain Defoe is wanted by Queens Park Rangers? Not a new tale but one worth repeating given such a transfer would see the striker join his 700th different club. Apparently the 29th-year-old has become frustrated with his lack of opportunities at Tottenham and is now willing to join Neil Warnock’s band of misfits in January. And to fill the gap left by the former Charlton, West Ham, Bournemouth, Portsmouth … striker, Spurs are apparently ready to sign Juventus’s Brazilian-born Italy forward Amauri.

Meanwhile, Liverpool have made an enquiry about the Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita, according to reports. The 31-year-old is out of contract in the summer and could be tempted by a move to Anfield. Also on their way out of Camp Nou could be the less heralded Martin Montoya and Marc Barta, who are on Spurs’s radar. The pair are both just 20-year-old.

Across north London, Arsenal want to sign the Borussia Dortmund midfielder Kevin Grosskreutz. The 23-year-old has been watched by Arsène Wenger’s scouts and they seemingly like what they saw.

In the Championship, meanwhile, Nottingham Forest are keen to “raid” Portsmouth for Liam Lawrence. Forest’s new manager, Steve Cotterill, knows Lawrence from his time at Fratton Park and is happy to spend £1.5m on the Republic of Ireland winger.

And just to prove there is no news like old news, Manchester United are back in the hunt for Wesley Sneijder and have been told by Internazionale that they can have the Dutchman for £40m. A tedious affair in what is proving to be a truly tedious week.

ChelseaBolton WanderersTottenham HotspurQPRLiverpoolBarcelonaArsenalNottingham ForestPortsmouthManchester UnitedSachin Nakraniguardian.co.uk

• Pele says Neymar should continue development in Brazil
• Teenager has been linked with Chelsea and Manchester City

Pele has encouraged the in-demand teenager Neymar to follow his example and stay with Santos rather than move to Europe.

The striker’s performances for Santos have drawn comparisons with Pele at the same age, and the 19-year-old has been linked to both Chelsea and Manchester City.

However, Pele, who spent virtually all his career at Santos, thinks Neymar would be best served by developing at home.

“He can be a great player, he can be like Messi or Ronaldo, no doubt. But I think it’s a little complicated for him to move to a club in England or Italy at the moment. The marking is very tight there. He would find that a little difficult because he’s very young. The game is very physical in England and Italy.”

With Brazil hosting the World Cup in 2014, Pele believes it would be good for his country’s chances to keep Neymar away from Europe’s biggest clubs.

“I think it is very difficult to keep him in Brazil, but I hope he stays there until more or less the 2014 World Cup. He hasn’t reached his potential yet, but he is already an excellent player.”

Manchester CityChelseaPeléTransfer windowguardian.co.uk