Shakhtar Donetsk‘s preferred home base for this season’s Champions League is Chelsea‘s Stamford Bridge, sources have told ESPN.
Shakhtar, the Ukrainian champions, have previously played their “home” European matches in Germany, Slovenia and Poland, but wanted to play in London this season.
Sources have told ESPN that nothing has been agreed regarding where the club will play the games next season.
They shortlisted Fulham‘s Craven Cottage, Brentford‘s Gtech Community Stadium and Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge as three potential options.
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And pending the final signing of the agreement, Shakhtar are set to play their European matches at Chelsea’s 40,000-capacity home in west London as they continue to play away from their home in the east of Ukraine.
Shakhtar’s last match at their Donbas home was on May. 2, 2014, but after Russian-backed separatists invaded that part of Ukraine, the club lived a nomadic existence, playing domestic “home matches” in Lviv, Kharkiv and Kyiv.
When the wholescale Russian invasion of Ukraine happened in February 2022 their European matches were moved outside of Ukraine, with “home” games played across Poland (Warsaw or Krakow), Slovenia (Ljubljana) and Germany (Hamburg and Gelsenkirchen).
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Each match required lengthy coach travel out of Ukraine, and then sometimes a further plane — the same routine applying for away matches. This season they want to base themselves in London.
Chelsea’s men’s team failed to qualify for European football this season so the ground is available in the required Champions League match windows.
Information from ESPN’s James Olley contributed to this report.
