Manchester United are exploring building a new £2 billion 100,000 seater to replace Old Trafford as the men's team's home ground. However, according to a recent report, the English giants do not intend on totally abandoning the iconic Theatre of Dreams.
As written in the Daily Mail, the Red Devils prefer to keep Old Trafford even if the team relocates to a new stadium, which INEOS and Co. dream of being a 100,000 seater dubbed "the Wembley of the North".
In this scenario, the 114-year-old Old Trafford would not be bulldozed as initially thought. Instead, Manchester United would scale down the beloved stadium to preserve the club's history and turn it into the permanent home for the women's and academy teams.
As a result, the Theatre of Dream's capacity could be decreased from 75,000 to 30,000. Additionally, the Munich clock, the tunnel that pays homage to the 1958 air disaster, and the Sir Matt Busby, Sir Alex Ferguson, Jimmy Murphy, Bobby Charlton, George Best, and Denis Law statues would all remain intact.
Around 30,000 fans were polled over the prospect of moving to a new ground, and while those canvassed were split 50-50, the prospect of both retaining Old Trafford and relocating to a new state-of-the-art stadium could be popular.
This would be in stark contrast with what Arsenal did when they moved to the Emirates Stadium in 2006, with Highbury being turned into a residential development.
While INEOS and Co. prefer to build a new stadium on a plot of land behind the Stretford End, this is not guaranteed. This plan will likely cost £2 billion, which the owners cannot afford on their own. As a result, Manchester United are exploring "public-private funding opportunities", including selling the naming rights.
The Red Devils could also opt for a £1 billion redevelopment of Old Trafford. A final decision regarding a new stadium, which could be completed by 2030 if greenlighted, is expected by the end of this year.
