Manchester United are planning to build a new stadium to replace Old Trafford, but are facing problems purchasing land as their initial cost may be far off.
Manchester United have plans to build a new stadium, which is expected to cost billions (Image: PA)
Manchester United’s new stadium is set to cost more than £3bn to build, amid ongoing delays and disputes over the value of the proposed land.
The club’s bosses, led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, want a new stadium built after years of criticism. Old Trafford, once the best football venue in the country, has been replaced by a number of state-of-the-art grounds. In the end, it was used as a crutch to defeat United.
The new stadium was originally scheduled to cost the club a whopping £2bn, a figure revealed when the plans were announced a year ago. However, owner Freightliner is demanding £400m, eight times the £50m offered by the Manchester team, and purchasing the land to build the venue is an issue.
A compulsory purchase order could set a price and get things moving, but construction work on the new stadium could take a decade to finally be completed.
Ratcliffe wants to continue pumping money into the club’s training base and upgrading its infrastructure, but Ineos bosses have been warned that the costs of such projects will only increase and his initial figures could be far off.
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A stadium expert told The Sun: “The current cost of a stadium is already over £3 billion and prices will continue to rise. Large projects of this kind are not getting cheaper, they are only going to get cheaper. First of all, there are only a limited number of companies capable of delivering large stadium projects of this kind. The process of completing a stadium will take at best 10 years from now.”
United have seen Tottenham build a new stadium that is regarded as one of the best in Europe. Manchester City and Liverpool have both redeveloped their venues, while Arsenal only celebrated their 20th anniversary this year. Old Trafford was overlooked for Euro 2028 and the Etihad was chosen as the Manchester-based venue, leading to a damning reflection on Old Trafford.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been warned that his initial estimates may be off the mark (Image: PA)
Former United defender Gary Neville, who previously claimed Old Trafford had been “neglected for too long”, has been part of the task force responsible for ensuring the stadium’s regeneration. He was joined by Sebastian Coe, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and Trafford City Council Chief Executive Sarah Todd.
Mr Ratcliffe argued that a new stadium would be a huge asset for the North West and was considering lobbying the government for help with its construction costs. But his criticism of the country’s leadership will do little to help his case against a billionaire who recently claimed the country was “colonized by immigrants.”
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