Chelsea are exploring the possibility of moving to Twickenham, home of English rugby, while their Stamford Bridge stadium is being redeveloped, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) revealed on Sunday.

Chelsea announced plans to expand their stadium in June and although no dates for any work have been set out, the RFU says it has been contacted by the London club over the temporary use of Twickenham, which seats 82,000 people.

"We are regularly contacted by a variety of organisations, within and outside sport, on a wide range of opportunities concerning use of what we believe is a world-class stadium," the RFU said in a statement.

"We have had an enquiry from Chelsea FC, but have not had any discussions of any substance.

"While we don't comment on any specific confidential conversations, each request is taken on its merit, assessing a variety of factors, such as the effect on the pitch, availability, transport and local considerations and other important implications."

A Chelsea spokesman said: "We're investigating different scenarios as part of the consultation process we started earlier this year, but have had no discussions of substance so far."

Twickenham has previously turned down approaches from football clubs seeking to use the ground for short periods, such as when Fulham were looking for a temporary home in 2001.

However, the Scottish Rugby Union allowed Celtic to play European games at Murrayfield while Celtic Park and Hampden, Scotland's national football stadium, were being used during this year's Commonwealth Games.

Chelsea's city rivals Tottenham Hotspur are also currently looking for a temporary home for the 2017-18 season due to delays in the construction of their new stadium.

Stamford Bridge's capacity is 41,837, meaning Chelsea struggle to compete with rivals such as Manchester United and Arsenal when it comes to generating match-day revenue.

United's Old Trafford home seats 75,731 people and Arsenal's Emirates Stadium holds 60,338.