Some interesting news breaking this lunchtime: the Football Association in England are in talks to sell their treasured Wembley home.
Matt Lawton of the Daily Mail has broken the story, with the FA considering a deal worth £800 million from Shahid Khan, owner of Fulham and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The report states that the FA are going to accept £500 million from Khan for the ground, with Khan allowing the FA to retain control of Wembley's hospitality industry, which is valued at £300 million. The deal would essentially clear the FA's debt, while they would retain revenue for ticket sales for FA Cup and international games staged at the ground.
Should the deal go through, it will be a large stride toward a London-based NFL franchise, as is Khan's wish. The Jaguars have consistently appeared at Wembley for NFL games over the last number of years, and they could now be about to make Wembley their permanent home.
It's an astonishing, audacious move by Khan that will have knock-on effects for football in England.
The Daily Mail have a very useful Q and A section on their site regarding the sale, which can be read here.
It's understood that England would continue to play their home games at Wembley, although would have to go on the road during NFL season if the Jags move in, and all of the high-profile football games paid there presently - the FA cup semi-finals, final, League Cup final, play-off finals, etc - wouldn't be affected either.
Spurs and Chelsea, however, could be screwed over.
Spurs have signed an agreement with the NFL to host at least two games a year for ten years at the newly-built White Hart Lane. Given that the NFL invested £10 million into the ground, it's unlikely the deal would be torn up, but it remains to be seen how it would be affected.
Chelsea's plans to redevelop Stamford Bridge might hit the skids, too. They had planned on moving to Wembley for a year to facilitate its construction, as Spurs have done this year. If the Jags have the ground between September and December, however, that doesn't look possible: unless they want to go on the road for a few months.
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