July 29 – Manchester United minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe has revealed a strong preference to replace Old Trafford with a new 100,000-capacity facility, as he urges the club to finalise their stadium plans by December this year.
The United co-owner has talked of a desire to build a ‘Wembley of the north’ for the side and, together with Trafford Council, has put together a taskforce to assess the feasibility of a new stadium and redevelopment of Old Trafford.
The proposed project, estimated to cost over £2 billion, would take approximately six years to complete and be constructed adjacent to Old Trafford, ensuring the current venue remains operational until the new stadium is ready.
An alternative option is to renovate Old Trafford, but this would significantly reduce revenue as sections of the stadium would need to be closed during the revamp, or the team would have to relocate temporarily to another venue.
Unlike Tottenham, who played at Wembley while their £1.2 billion stadium was being completed, United have no obvious alternative ground to use.
It has been suggested that a renovation of the current stadium would cost around £1.2 billion and take significantly longer to complete, making a new build the more viable option in the eyes of the United co-owner.
United’s chief operating officer, Collette Roche, has reportedly been evaluating stadium redevelopments globally, including Perth’s Optus Stadium, which opened in 2018, and Real Madrid’s renovated Bernabeu Stadium.
There have also been discussions with officials at the 70,000-capacity SoFi Stadium, where United recently faced Arsenal during their tour of the US.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1734806211labto1734806211ofdlr1734806211owedi1734806211sni@g1734806211niwe.1734806211yrrah1734806211