Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is ready to show his commitment to the club by bankrolling a new stadium, it has been revealed.

The News of the World says Chelsea are deliberating over whether to improve Stamford Bridge or move to a new venue elsewhere in the capital.

Staying at The Bridge means Chelsea would only be able to increase their capacity to 55,000 - 21,000 below Manchester United's capacity at Old Trafford.

Moving to a new site would allow Chelsea to have whatever capacity they wanted. The problem is finding the land to build it on.

Rumours have swept football that Abramovich has either lost interest in Chelsea or is preparing to sell the club. Both have been strenuously denied by the club, who threaten legal action against anyone spreading such gossip.

The news that Abramovich is still ready to fund a project as expensive as a new stadium is seen as further proof that he is going nowhere.