Milan ‘set to study’ €300m San Siro proposal

The Municipality of Milan is reportedly set to present a €300m (£257.5m/$326.5m) proposal to redevelop the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, in what is being viewed as a last-gasp effort to persuade AC Milan and Inter Milan that their futures lie at their current home.

The latest development in the long-running saga was reported today by La Repubblica, which stated that a rough feasibility study for the project will be presented at a meeting scheduled for January 31. According to the newspaper, the renovation scheme envisions that work could take place whilst games for the Serie A rivals continue at the stadium better known as the San Siro.

Architectural studio Arco Associati is said to be behind the proposal, which would see a new-look Meazza feature a capacity of 75,000, 5,000 more than the two stadia Milan and Inter are currently working on, and around 800 less than the San Siro’s current capacity.

Of these, 10,000 would be reserved for premium seating, with a fourth tier envisioned to be added to the stadium bowl. The access system to the stadium would also be revised, while its surroundings would be revamped to regenerate the local neighbourhood.

La Repubblica notes that another key date is approaching with regards any potential regeneration of the Meazza. In October, the Municipality launched an appeal against a decision placing protected status on the Meazza, effectively preventing any efforts to redevelop the venue.

The Municipality said it would present an appeal to the Regional Administrative Court (TAR) of Lombardy-Milan to secure an annulment of the opinion presented by the Archaeological, Fine Arts and Landscape Superintendence for the Metropolitan City of Milan on July 26, followed by another from the Regional Commission for the Cultural Heritage of Lombardy on July 27.

These related to the classification of the second tier of the Meazza, along with the west stand, as structures of cultural interest. During a meeting held in May, despite apparent pressure from AC Milan and Inter Milan, the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape, a body chaired by Emanuela Carpani, was said to have confirmed that it would not lift protected status from the Meazza.

This relates to the stadium’s second tier and towers, which were built in 1955 and under historical constraints related to public-owned property are due to be afforded protected status after 70 years, therefore in 2025.

The Municipality’s appeal is scheduled to be heard on March 14, while any fresh attempts to redevelop the Meazza would also have to convince the two clubs. Both Milan and Inter have always remained deeply sceptical over such a project, carrying concerns over how a renovation would fit in with the need to stage games, along with whether a new-look Meazza would fulfil their ambition of having a stadium fit to compete with the best in Europe.

Inter last month launched a fan consultation initiative related to its proposed move to a new 70,000-seat stadium in the municipality of Rozzano. In October, Inter offered a glimpse of life after the San Siro by revealing initial concept images from Populous of a new stadium that it hopes will open ahead of the 2028-29 season.

In a speech to shareholders as Inter revealed record matchday revenues, CEO Alessandro Antonello said the delivery of a new stadium owned by Inter is “crucial” when it comes to achieving the club’s wider mid-to-long-term goals. The club is working on plans for a 70,000-seat stadium built on green space between Rozzano and Assago near the A7 motorway, which connects Milan and Genoa.

The land is currently owned by real estate groups Brioschi and Bastogi through a company called Infrafin. Inter has already secured the exclusive right to carry out a feasibility study into the potential development of a stadium on the site. The club has until the end of April 2024 to study the project. In September, initial plans were presented to the Mayors of Rozzano and the neighbouring municipality of Assago.

Inter and its city rival previously worked on a joint Nuovo Stadio Milan project on the site where the Meazza is located, but ongoing delays concerning this venture prompted both to reassess their options.

Milan in October reported its first profit in nearly two decades and record revenues of €404.5m, as the club disclosed that its owners had already invested €40m in advancing plans to deliver a new stadium in San Donato.