Fulham have confirmed that they have agreed to sell Craven Cottage to a finance and development company, as part of the Club's efforts to be able to develop a new stadium at a new site if it become necessary.
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A spokesman for the club said: "Fulham River Projects Limited is a finance and development company which was set up by our solicitors to develop Craven Cottage. It is already public knowledge that Fulham may be forced to develop a stadium away from the Craven Cottage site and this is part of that potential precautionary future strategy."
Last May the club said it would play at QPR's Loftus Road ground for two seasons before returning to a new 28,000 all-seater Craven Cottage. In September, however, the club said it might not move back. That was followed last month by confirmation that the club would not proceed with the 28,000-seat redevelopment because the cost, which is in excess of £100m, was prohibitive.
"If the proposed Craven Cottage were now to be built according to the original plans the cost would exceed £100m," said a spokesman. "To saddle the club with this magnitude of debt would be foolhardy."
The club wanted to increase revenue by raising the capacity of the new Craven Cottage to 38,000 and to secure permission for concerts and other events. Hammersmith and Fulham Council is unlikely to grant planning permission for such a stadium and the club has begun searching for alternative sites.
Fulham have been linked with trying to buy sites near QPR in White City and Osterley. They have also discussed groundshare possibilities with Chelsea.