A US investment bank hired by Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich could help kickstart the halted redevelopment of Stamford Bridge within months, a source close to him claimed on Tuesday.

The Raine Group, based in New York, is understood to be offering executives a "wide range of advisory services" as the merchant bank helps the club develop its global brand in competition with the two Manchester clubs.

Abramovich, worth £9.3bn, is said to have no desire to sell the club, but he is willing to listen to offers to release equity, having turned a profit just once in his 15-year ownership of the club.

Chelsea temporarily shelved plans to build a new stadium "due to to the current unfavourable investment climate" in May. At the time, the decision was attributed to a visa wrangle between Abramovich and the Home Office, but a source insisted on Tuesday that the financial situation surrounding the development was always a main concern.

With the help of investment options from Raine, the £500m project to increase capacity of the ground from its current 41,600 to 60,000 could be resumed before the end of the year, The Telegraph understands.

The bank, which helped Manchester City’s Abu Dhabi ownership sell a 13% stake to Chinese investors in 2015, has refused to comment on its work with Chelsea, but says on its website: "We use our industry expertise to provide strategic guidance to our portfolio companies and help them drive growth through our global network."