Manchester United is reported to be considering the sale of future TV rights to help finance the redevelopment of Old Trafford.
A report in The Times newspaper claims the Glazer family, who own the club, are considering several investment routes to fund the estimated £200m needed to increase Old Trafford’s capacity and make improvements to the stadium and training ground.
One is to follow the recent deal made by Spanish La Liga club Barcelona, who sold off TV rights over the next 25 years to US investment firm Sixth Street.
The Times report said the Glazers are also considering a loan and the sale of a minority stake in the club. Reports surfaced last week that the Glazers were in exclusive investment talks with Apollo Global Management over the sale of a minority stake.
In June, United appointed Legends International and Populous to lead a team that will be tasked with creating a masterplan for the redevelopment of Old Trafford.
The Premier League club has already started work on developing options for the stadium and studying their feasibility, with the aim of significantly enhancing the fan experience at the 74,000-capacity venue.
United has also appointed KSS to develop a masterplan for an expanded, state-of-the-art training facility for its men’s, women’s and academy teams.
United announced plans to upgrade Old Trafford at the end of last year, although so far no details on the scope or budget of the plans have been confirmed.
Old Trafford is the largest club stadium in England but United has fallen behind its rivals in recent years as Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham moved to new homes and Liverpool carried out extensive redevelopment work at Anfield.
It emerged in May that United is considering three options for the redevelopment of Old Trafford, including a complete rebuild of the stadium. According to The Telegraph, the rebuilt stadium would have a capacity to rival that of Wembley Stadium, which seats 90,000 fans.
Image: Samuel Regan-Asante on Unsplash
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