Man Utd now planning to demolish Old Trafford and build new £2bn 'Wembley of the North' 100,000-seater stadium in major U-turn

The Red Devils are aware of the need to give their famous home a serious upgrade. Sir Jim Ratcliffe has made that project a top priority since his arrival as a major investor at the club. Various proposals have been floated as the Premier League giants mull over what to do next.

There had been talk of United scaling Old Trafford down to 30,000, allowing the iconic venue to be preserved and handed over to the club’s women and academy teams. A ground of that size is, however, considered to be too big for the sides concerned.

According to the Daily Mail, the Red Devils are now prepared to flatten their current home and start over. Said proposal would not come cheap – as architects Foster and Partners are charged with the task of delivering on United’s vision – with an ultra-modern construction coming with a £2 billion ($2.6bn) price tag.

United will look to integrate historical elements of Old Trafford into their new build, with club legend Gary Neville – who now sits on the stadium project task force – telling The Athletic: “None of the stands that were there when I first went in 1979 are there in the same form. Most of the stands have been built between 1993 and 2005. We’d not be keeping anything that is 100 years old. What is it that we’d be saving?

“Yes, we must keep the statues, the Munich clock or tunnel. They must be a part of whatever Old Trafford becomes. I get that the location of the pitch is important to some fans but I was at Tottenham vs Arsenal on Sunday. I don’t think any Tottenham fans went there thinking about the location of the pitch and that it’s different to the one Glenn Hoddle played on.”

Ratcliffe is said to want a final decision on the stadium plans by the end of the calendar year, allowing long-term plans to be set in stone and work to begin in earnest. United are hoping to have the entire project completed by around 2030.