Old Trafford's future up in the air
- Published
Complications in renovating the 74,310-capacity Old Trafford, which has been Manchester United’s home since 1910, include a railway line at the back of the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand and having to significantly reduce capacity during building works, causing inconvenience to fans and a major loss of revenue.
Unlike Tottenham, who played at Wembley while their £1.2bn stadium was being completed, United have no obvious alternative ground to use.
The club want something in keeping with their roots in an industrial city and it is anticipated the statues around the current stadium would be relocated to any new ground.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants local and national government to play some part in funding the overall project although, realistically, that is likely to involve transport links.
Exactly how the stadium would be financed is one of the subjects still under discussion.
At current exchange rates, United’s present debt is £647.5m, excluding outstanding transfer fee payments, made up of $650m (£504.5m) historic debt as a legacy of the Glazer family takeover in 2005 and £143m from a rolling credit facility.
