Manchester United may have to make some big decisions as their new stadium partner looks to redevelop Italy’s San Siro while trying to resolve difficulties
Manchester United could be forced to wait their turn over ambitious plans to build a new £2bn stadium. Old Trafford bosses could be left in the shoes of AC Milan and Inter Milan as the Italian duo look to get their own new stadium plans on track.
Both clubs share a key partnership as they seek to regenerate world football’s historic grounds. Foster + Partners is the firm helping to design Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s desired 100,000 capacity, with an advertised completion date of 2030.
However, according to the Mail Online, the global studio for sustainable architecture, urban planning, engineering and design is currently working on a new San Siro. The Fosters were given permission to demolish the current stadium and build a new 71,500 seat San Siro.
It is hoped that development could be completed by 2031, in time for next year’s European Championships. The Fosters had been in discussions with the City of Birmingham, but felt their priorities were too focused, according to the report.
United said at a fan forum earlier this month that they would continue to work with Fosters, but there were caveats. “The club advised that it was working with Foster + Partners as the master planner for the wider regeneration project and that no formal appointment had been made for the engineering and construction contract for the new stadium project,” the minutes read.
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The Red Devils remain hopeful of securing a deal to purchase land around Old Trafford for the project, and said at their latest fan forum meeting that “constructive discussions” had taken place with Freightliner regarding the acquisition of the land. The extra land at the rear of Old Trafford is said to have been important to Lord Foster’s tent design.
A United spokesperson said: “Early design work has been deliberately paused until the land mass and fan requirements are better defined. As with other aspects of the project, we encourage fans to treat speculative media reports with caution.”
“We remain excited by the vision set out by Foster & Partners to build a new stadium at the heart of the wider regeneration of the Old Trafford area.
“We have always stated that this is a conceptual design, followed by more detailed construction work. We continue to hope to move forward as soon as possible, but the schedule is subject to the progress of land assembly and financing, and is dependent on the cooperation of key stakeholders.”
United have previously acknowledged that Old Trafford cannot achieve its ambitious vision alone and has worked closely with the Government and Trafford Council. Both the club and the city region have the goal of bringing important matches to the stadium starting with the 2035 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
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