Manchester United have allegedly been handed a potential major blow in their efforts to leave Old Trafford for a new stadium by 2030.
Earlier this year, ambitious plans were revealed for the Premier League giants to make the switch to a 100,000-capacity stadium within the next five years.
The move is part of Sir Jim Ratcliffe's vision to build “an iconic football stadium” that would be surrounded by bars, restaurants and businesses at a destination that he hopes football fans will want to spend time at before, during and after matches.
However, for that to materialise, a number of issues are still to be resolved, including the purchase of land and whether the project can remain within the suggested £2bn budget.
Man United facing new stadium blow
Fosters + Partners – a global studio for sustainable architecture, urbanism, engineering and design – are overseeing the design of the stadium, and Ratcliffe would have hoped that their priority would be Man United.
Instead, as per the Mail online, Fosters + Partners have been given the green light to commence work with the rebuild of San Siro, the home of AC Milan and Inter Milan.
San Siro, outdated in comparison to newer designs, is due to be knocked down with a new 71,500 stadium being built in its place.
There is no indication around which project will be the priority for the firm, but there is at least more clarity on the Italian project after the two Milan giants officially purchased the stadium from the Municipality of Milan in November.
New San Siro to be finished before New Trafford?
As with Man United's new stadium, there will be a wider transformation of the surrounding areas and, as it stands, there is hope that the new San Siro will be completed by 2031.
That presents obvious potential logistical issues for Fosters + Partners, leaving Man United chiefs looking at how they can speed up the process of ticking the necessary boxes in order for their own work to proceed.
The ‘New Trafford' Stadium – the name currently given to the planned new ground by Fosters + Partners – will be located next to Old Trafford.
As it stands, there are no formal plans in place regarding whether and when Old Trafford will be demolished, or if Man United would be required to play elsewhere for any period of time.
FGG says: More questions than answers
At present, it appears that Manchester United are facing hurdle after hurdle when it comes to their new stadium, and construction hasn't even started yet. Each hurdle seems to throw up new and difficult questions, and the solutions to many of them aren't exactly straightforward.
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