Chelsea have reportedly offered £11m (€15.5m) a year to use Wembley for their home matches while their Stamford Bridge stadium is redeveloped.
The Times reported that the Premier League champions, who recently unveiled plans to expand their stadium capacity to 60,000, want to use the national team's stadium for three years, most likely from the beginning of the 2017-18 season.
The move puts the Blues in a bidding war with London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, who are also considering Wembley as an alternative while they build a new 56,000 seater stadium in north London.
Spurs have tabled a bid of £8m (€11.3m) per year for the use of Wembley, according to the Times, and want to use the stadium for at least one year from 2017.
A Wembley spokesman would not confirm the veracity of either bid when contacted by Newsweek.
As well as matches of the England national team, Wembley is used for showpiece football matches such as the FA Cup final and other sporting events, like the NFL International Series. It is the second-largest stadium in Europe with 90,000 seats and was built at a cost of €1.07bn.
In 2014, Wembley generated turnover of €137.4m and an operating profit of €10.4m.
Either team could encounter problems with their bids, since Wembley can only host a certain number of events per year with an attendance above 50,800. However, the issue could be dealt with by closing the stadium's top tier.
Last week, Chelsea revealed their plans to expand Stamford Bridge by more than 18,000 seats in a €704m redevelopment plan which will see all four sides of the ground replaced.
The Blues are also considering temporarily relocating to Twickenham, the home of the English national rugby team, while the works take place.
Tottenham, meanwhile, are reportedly considering Stadium mk, home to newly-promoted Championship side Milton Keynes Dons, as an alternative to Wembley, though a potential drawback is its location as it is over 50 miles north of London.
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About the writer
Conor is a staff writer for Newsweek covering Africa, with a focus on Nigeria, security and conflict.
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