Italian Serie A football clubs AC Milan and Inter Milan are reportedly set to present Mayor Giuseppe Sala with their plan to develop a new stadium.
Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera said the two presidents of the clubs, Milan’s Paolo Scaroni and Inter’s Alessandro Antonello, have been discussing the plan for weeks and will now outline their vision to Sala and the municipality at the beginning of May.
The city rivals have long considered their options when it comes to stadia, with these talks having accelerated in recent months. The clubs last month called on US financial services company Goldman Sachs to explore the possible construction of a new stadium.
In November, they signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together on a stadium project. They agreed to analyse a range of options, including a brand-new stadium or renovation of the iconic San Siro.
The Corriere reported that next month’s meeting will not present design plans for a new stadium, but instead outline the vision on how Milan and Inter plan to transform the site, along with the costs and timeline for the project.
The newspaper added that the proposal will involve the demolition of the San Siro, with a new stadium being developed next to it, in an area currently dedicated to parking. With a capacity of between 55,000 and 60,000, the new stadium is envisioned to take around three years to construct.
During this time, the two teams will continue to play at the San Siro. Phase two of the project will involve the demolition of the existing stadium, which will reportedly take six months to complete. The final phase will then commence, adding a park, hotels, commercial development and parking.
The Corriere added that this last phase will likely take two and half years to complete, meaning the project is set to run for around six years in total. However, Sala will need to give the green light to the scheme, with the municipality requiring compensation for the demolition of the San Siro, which it owns.
The San Siro first opened in 1926 and has undergone several renovations, most notably for Italy’s staging of the 1990 FIFA World Cup. AC Milan has called the stadium home since it opened, while Inter started using the San Siro in 1947.
Image: Jose Luis Hidalgo R.
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