Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk want to play their Champions League home games at Chelsea‘s Stamford Bridge this season.

Shakhtar have been unable to use their Donbas Arena since the 2014 Russia-backed annexation of Donetsk, playing domestic matches in Kyiv and Lviv, and European home games in Germany, Slovenia and Poland.

Negotiations are ongoing according to Ukrainian sources, with Chelsea providing the preferred option because of the chance to play at the Blues’ 40,000-capacity stadium.

Sources have stressed the move is not commercially motivated, with the clubs having built a strong relationship since Chelsea signed Mykhailo Mudryk in 2023 and through their involvement in the charity match Game4Ukraine.

Fulham‘s Craven Cottage and Brentford‘s Gtech Community Stadium were also considered as Shakhtar explored options for bringing elite-level European football to west London.