Chelsea's bid for the double has once again raised the thorny issue of a parade through the streets of west London.

If the Blues go on to win the title and then beat Portsmouth in the FA Cup final on May 15, they will become only the seventh team in history to win both competitions in the same season.

Chelsea upset fans when they did not hold parades after winning the Carling Cup and the FA Cup in 2007.

They missed out again last year when the Blues beat Everton to win the FA Cup with logistical problems blamed for the absence of a parade.

Last year, Chelsea were unwilling to pay the £250,000 cost of cancelling the parade at short notice if they lost the Cup final but World Cup duty appears to be a possible stumbling block this time around.

Most of the players are required to report for World Cup duty within days after the game and some have further to travel than others in order to link-up with their respective squads.

The club have stressed that their initial talks with the local council are necessary at this stage and should not be seen as over confidence regarding their chances of winning either the Premier League or FA Cup.

"It's only prudent to plan ahead for the possibility of a large scale event should the club be successful this season," said a club spokesman.

"Due to the time scales involved in authorising the required licences and permissions, it's important to give local authorities sufficient lead time to plan effectively."