Manchester United's plan to build a new stadium is said to be at risk of exceeding the £3 billion mark, after facing delays and prolonged disputes related to land prices.
The club's leadership, headed by billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, wants to build a completely new stadium after years of criticism of Old Trafford's degradation.
Once considered the "theater of dreams" and the leading football stadium in England, Old Trafford has now been surpassed by many other modern stadiums, becoming one of the reasons why Man United is being criticized.
Initially, the new stadium project was announced with an estimated cost of about 2 billion pounds. However, the purchase of the necessary land for construction became a major obstacle when Freightliner transportation company requested up to 400 million pounds - eight times the 50 million pounds proposed by Man United.
One option considered is to apply a mandatory requisition order to determine land prices and accelerate progress. However, even if all procedures are approved, the construction of a new stadium could still take up to a decade.
Ratcliffe, owner of INEOS, has invested significantly in Man United's training facilities and wants to continue upgrading the club's infrastructure. However, many experts warn that the cost of such large-scale projects often increases rapidly over time, meaning that initial estimates may no longer be accurate.
A stadium construction expert commented: "The current cost of the project has exceeded £3 billion and is still increasing. Such huge projects are rarely cheaper. The number of companies capable of implementing this large-scale stadium project is very limited, and completion may take at least 10 years.
Man United is also under pressure as domestic rivals have upgraded infrastructure. Tottenham Hotspur owns a new stadium considered one of the most modern buildings in Europe, while Manchester City and Liverpool have both renovated and expanded their home stadiums. Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, although more than 20 years old, is still considered one of the most modern stadiums.
A noteworthy fact is that Old Trafford was not even chosen as the venue for EURO 2028 in Manchester, when Etihad was chosen as a replacement.
Former Man United defender Gary Neville - who once said Old Trafford had been neglected for too long - is currently participating in the working group supervising the stadium reconstruction plan. This group also includes Sebastian Coe, Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham and Executive Director of the Trafford Board Sara Todd.
Ratcliffe is also seeking to lobby the government to support part of the project costs, affirming that the new stadium will bring great economic benefits to the northwestern UK region. However, the billionaire's recent controversial statements on immigration policy are said to be of no help to this effort.
