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Rob Dawson, Correspondent
Manchester United are hoping to build a 100,000-capacity stadium within the next six years, a source has told ESPN.
The club are expecting to make a final decision on whether to build a new stadium or redevelop Old Trafford before the end of the year.
The project is set to cost in excess of £2 billion ($2.6bn) with United hoping to deliver a stadium with a capacity of between 90,000 and 100,000 built by 2030.
Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has previously said he would prefer to build a new stadium on the site of the existing stadium, potentially using land behind the Stretford End.
Plans are yet to be finalised but club officials have taken inspiration from a number of similar projects across the world, but particularly from SoFi Stadium and the surrounding regeneration project near Los Angeles.
United played Arsenalat SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Saturday as part of their preseason tour of the United States and sources have told ESPN that club bosses have visited L.A. a number of times over the last few years.
Former United striker Andy Cole, who was part of the contingent in L.A. for the game against Arsenal, said: “Manchester United fans and everyone in the north of England deserves a truly world-class stadium, and SoFi set the standard to aim for.
“I don’t draw this comparison lightly, but you can see a parallel with the opportunity back home in Manchester. A new or redeveloped stadium at Old Trafford could be the focal point for revitalisation of the surrounding area.”
Sources have told ESPN that United chiefs have also visited the revamped Bernabéu in Madrid and spent time at Wembley and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as well as following the Chicago Bears Burnham Park project.
Ratcliffe has made the stadium project a priority since becoming co-owner in February.
In March, it was announced that a joint task force, including Manchester mayor Andy Burnham and former United captain Gary Neville, had been set up to explore options.
Speaking at a fans’ forum earlier this month, COO Collette Roche said: “The task force is making good progress in exploring the possibilities for a new or redeveloped stadium at the centre of a wider regeneration.”
Roche also promised fans will be consulted before any decision is made on potentially selling the naming rights to the new venue but admitted “all options” for funding the project would have to be considered. The task force will look at all financing options, including a private-public partnership.