Man Utd stadium plans: Will Sir Jim Ratcliffe build a new ground and what will it mean for Old Trafford?

Are Manchester United getting a new stadium? What will it mean for the future of Old Trafford? And how much will this all cost? Mno Sports takes a look at the key questions...

Could Man Utd get a new stadium?

The Daily Telegraph reported in February that Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to create a new stadium for United, who have spent the last 114 years at Old Trafford, which holds nearly 74,000 spectators.

The plan, according to the report, would see United create a 'Wembley of the North' to rival the 90,000-seater national stadium in north London.

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Billionaire Ratcliffe, who founded the INEOS group and acquired a 25 per cent stake of United for a fee of £1.2bn at the end of 2023, then set up the Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force, putting himself as chair. Other members in the task force include Lord Coe, Mno Sports pundit Gary Neville and Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham.

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Dave Kidd from The Sun and John Cross from The Mirror discuss the story Sir Jim Ratcliffe is potentially looking at replacing Old Trafford with a 'Wembley of the North'

"I was told that Sir Jim Ratcliffe turned up for one of his meetings and he had the feeling that for arguably the biggest football club in the world, the wow factor just wasn't there. I agree with that," said United We Stand Editor Andy Mitten to Mno Sports News in February.

What is Man Utd's stance on this?

According to the Telegraph's report, Ratcliffe is against the idea of relocating the club, but feels supporters will be behind a stadium move if they stay within the same land.

United own around 100 acres of land around Old Trafford, 43 acres of that land is ripe for development. Around 25 acres are said to be unused.

As part of the Future of Football series, Jim Heverin, a director at Zaha Hadid Architects, said the manner in which Barcelona, Real Madrid and Liverpool have renovated their own stadia, rather than building new ones, is the template United should follow.

"At Old Trafford, you'd definitely expect them to be thinking about repurposing and not going anywhere else. Look at what Liverpool has been doing with these small modifications and upgrades. That looks like the future and not brand new stadiums," he said.

"I know why Everton are moving but that is looking more like the old way of looking at new stadiums, particularly when you have something already that is an asset."

Mno Sports' Neville, part of the Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force, has been very vocal about the need to improve the Old Trafford facilities. "Maybe what Liverpool have done is the way forward," he said late last year.

"If there is a shortage of funds, maybe get one or two stands, absolutely world class, and the other two follow up over the next five to 10 years. That would be a plan."