Man Utd confident of agreeing deal for new 100,000-seater Old Trafford
Manchester United unveiled ambitious plans for a new 100,000-seater stadium in March and are now optimistic of purchasing crucial surrounding land.
Manchester United remain hopeful of securing a deal to purchase land surrounding Old Trafford for their new stadium project.
Back in March, United revealed ambitious proposals for a cutting-edge 100,000-capacity stadium, with co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe suggesting the scheme could be finished by 2030.
The rail yard surrounding Old Trafford belongs to Freightliner and the site will be key to the plans for a new 100,000-capacity stadium. Andy Burnham, Greater Manchester's Mayor, had previously indicated that compulsory purchase powers might be employed to obtain the area if negotiations reach an impasse.
During the summer, reports suggested Freightliner had valued the site at £350million, though Burnham dismissed that sum, stating: "I think everyone should file that one away."
United and Freightliner have continued talks and are progressing towards reaching an agreement, based on the most recent fans' forum minutes published on Wednesday.
READ MORE: Ruben Amorim's four matches to save Man Utd job and ominous record to overturnREAD MORE: Liverpool told to drop 'wonderful' player vs Man Utd as strong Florian Wirtz message sentA United spokesperson commented: "While Manchester United owns a significant portion of land around Old Trafford, it is not all in a single, continuous block.
"To accommodate the scale of the proposed new stadium – including a canopy – and to avoid disruption to the existing stadium during construction, we are working to secure additional land.
"We've been engaged in constructive discussions with neighbouring landholders and are optimistic about reaching mutually agreeable terms in the coming months."
A United spokesperson said: "Early design work has been intentionally paused until we have greater clarity on land assembly and fan requirements. 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 for a new stadium at the heart of a wider regeneration of the Old Trafford area.
"We always said this was a conceptual design, with more detailed architectural work to follow. While we remain keen to advance as quickly as possible, the timetable is subject to progress on land assembly and financing, which depends on key stakeholders working together."
The club has admitted that they can't deliver their ambitious vision for Old Trafford alone, and have been working closely with national and local government, as well as Trafford Council.
It's also understood that the club and city region are aligned in their goal to bring significant fixtures from the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2035 to the stadium, including the final, as much of the regeneration of the area will have been completed by then.
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