Manchester United's ‘Wembley of the North' stadium plan hits the buffers
United have held talks with Freightliner, the haulage company that owns and operates the terminal, about buying the land, but negotiations are deadlocked due to a disagreement over the price.
While Freightliner is understood to have expressed a willingness to relocate from Trafford Park to nearby St Helens, the company is seeking around £400m for the land, with United valuing it at between £40m and £50m. Ratcliffe has made it clear United are unwilling to accept the asking price set by Freightliner's parent company, Brookfield, and initial discussions are believed to have reached an impasse.
A source said Freightliner 'have United over a barrel'. The company is willing to relocate to a proposed new site that would offer increased capacity for trains, but it is in no rush to move. The club's view is that Freightliner will only receive what would be a significant windfall if they are willing to drop the asking price.
Sign up to Football Daily
Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football
after newsletter promotion
When unveiling designs for the Old Trafford master plan, produced by Foster + Partners, in March, Ratcliffe set an ambitious target of completing what he described as a five-year build by 2030. United had been hoping to begin preparatory building work by the end of this year, but failing to secure the Freightliner site will delay the start date.
United's options at this stage would be to increase their offer, wait for Freightliner to lower its demands, or scale back the project so that the freight terminal land is not required. It is also possible the new Old Trafford Mayoral Development Corporation, chaired by Sebastian Coe, could issue a compulsory purchase order, although that would be subject to legal challenges and would lead to further delays.
Completion by 2030 was always seen as an ambitious target outside the senior leadership team at Old Trafford, given United have yet to obtain planning permission, secure ownership of all the land required or formally appoint architects. While Foster + Partners produced the artist impressions and videos of the proposed new stadium, the club plan to run a formal tender process to appoint architects.
At a Fans Forum event on 30 June, United conceded that securing the land required could prove an obstacle to beginning work this year. United were asked by supporters whether building would commence in 2025 or 2026 and responded: 'Planning work is continuing, including the consultations with fans discussed during today's meeting.
'Discussions are also ongoing with local authorities, land owners and potential funding partners with a view to securing the land and the finance we need to proceed with the project. It remains our ambition to proceed with the project as quickly as possible, but we can only do this once the necessary land and funding is in place.'
United have estimated the cost of the project at £4.2bn, but claim it will bring huge social and economic benefits to the local community and wider region, including 92,000 jobs, more than 17,000 new homes as well as attracting an extra 1.8 million visitors annually.
The cost for the stadium has been projected by United to be around £2bn, although given the tented roof alone is likely to cost £300m, industry sources say £3bn is a more realistic budget. Freightliner's demands for £400m could result in the redevelopment being significantly over budget from the start.
United are not seeking any public money to build the stadium itself. The club declined to comment on a private commercial negotiation.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
31 minutes ago
- The Sun
15 reasons why the Ford Transit is the GOAT of the van world – from transporting rock bands, elephants and even ROYALS
WE could argue all night about who is the GOAT. 15 15 15 But when it comes to vehicles, it's not even a debate. G reatest O f A ll T ransit. The humble Ford Transit has been Britain's best-selling van since day one - August 9, 1965. That's like Liverpool winning the Prem for 60 years on the bounce. Everyone else might as well give up and go home. To celebrate Transit's 60th, we've peppered today's column with quirky facts, as well as hearing from owners with a cherished van from each decade. Ford's famous Backbone Of Britain telly ad from the Eighties was genius marketing. Yet also 100 per cent true. Transit keeps this country ticking. Everything we see and touch was transported in a van. 15 15 One reason Transit is successful is that Ford engineers sit with owners to find ways of making the next model even more useful. Like the bloke who shoved a lump of wood through the bottom of the steering wheel to make a lunch table. The latest Transit Custom has a tilt-up steering wheel with a tray for his quinoa tuna salad. Bosh. Ford's insane V8 1971 Transit Supervan Retired builder Peter Lee, founder of the Transit Van Club, said: 'Transit is like a forklift with two doors. "Built to work. They're good honest vans that will do the job.' The OG and still the best. 3 MILLION UK sales and counting. Always available in white. 15 15 15 15 15 15
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
A long-term plan is needed to get the country out of its financial hole
SIR – Whether by raising income tax rates, a wealth tax or through less overt measures, the Government will try to extract more money from the people that it serves ('Reeves facing £50bn black hole as tax pressure mounts ', report, August 6). However, such measures risk being self-defeating. Those who are unable or unwilling to leave the country will bear the brunt of the tax rises. That includes standard and higher-rate taxpayers. Every pound the Government extracts from their bank accounts is a pound that cannot be spent on businesses that provide goods and services. Thus, businesses will take another hit which, in turn, will reduce their tax payments. Since the failure of the Truss administration, there has been no long-term plan to get the country out of its financial hole. Eventually, there will have to be one and it will likely involve curbing the insatiable appetite of government to control and spend. When such a plan sees the light of day we may be surprised at the boost it gives to confidence and investment. David Porter Plymouth, Devon SIR – Labour dug itself a financial hole when it pledged not to increase National Insurance (NI), VAT or income tax rates. Instead of imposing VAT on private schools and possibly even on private health, a simple 1 or 2 per cent rise on NI and/or the basic rate of income tax would have solved the Chancellor's problems. Now she is having to cast her net wider – and creating more problems as a result. John Tilsiter Radlett, Hertfordshire SIR – Taxing jobs and taxing capital is not going to result in economic growth. Is it too much to expect a former Bank of England economist to grasp this? Patrick Loxdale Aberystwyth, Ceredigion SIR – There is a limit to which any economy can be taxed. The UK is at that limit. The British public understands this. It is plain that public sector expenditure must be cut to balance the books. Given the Government throws billions around like confetti – on the Chagos Islands, the immigration fiasco, welfare, public sector pay rises, excessive numbers of civil servants – there is much low-hanging fruit. The economy is being badly managed as never before. Enough is enough. Please can we have some economic sanity. Stuart Moore Bramham, West Yorkshire SIR – Having continually criticised the Conservatives for the last 12 months for creating a £22bn black hole in the public finances, I trust Labour will now be constantly criticising itself for doubling the deficit. Paul Webster Dyserth, Denbighshire
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Future of chain Claire's on UK high streets uncertain after US parent firm files for bankruptcy
FASHION accessories chain Claire's is facing an uncertain future on UK high streets, after its US parent firm filed for bankruptcy. It is the second time the ear-piercing favourite has declared itself bust, after previously filing for bankruptcy in 2018. 1 Its finances are now under pressure from weak consumer demand and supply chain uncertainty. The filings showed that the parent business reported liabilities of up to $10billion (£7billion) and owed between 25,000 and 50,000 creditors. Claire's operates 2,750 stores worldwide, including 280 in the UK. While British stores remain unaffected for now, the UK arm has lost £25million over the past three years and is at risk of collapsing into administration later this month. It has been working with advisers to explore a sale or restructuring. However, potential buyers, such as Hilco Capital, are understood to have walked away. Retail experts say Claire's is struggling to stay relevant. Julie Palmer, from Begbies Traynor, said: 'Claire's low-price offering is clearly not strong enough to win over its core customers — teens and young adults — as they now have access to a vast array of affordable and convenient products online through platforms like Amazon and Temu.' Claire's boss Chris Cramer said: 'We remain in active discussions with potential strategic and financial partners and are committed to completing our review of strategic alternatives.' Nostalgic 90's retailer files for bankruptcy after chain misses rent payments for June and July 'CORE BLIMEY! MINING giant Glenciore has decided to stick with its London stock listing, scrapping plans to shift to New York, in a win for the City. It has been listed on the FTSE since 2011, when it was valued at £37billion — at the time the exchange's largest float. However, the Swiss-based firm has announced plans to slash £753million in costs by 2026, including job cuts across its 150,000-strong workforce. METRO BANK ON THE UP METRO BANK has bounced back, posting a £43.1million pre-tax profit for the first half of 2025 — up from a £33.5million loss reported in the same period last year. The lender doubled new corporate and small business loans to £1billion, and cut 8 per cent from its costs by axing a third of its workforce and reducing branch hours. Boss Daniel Frumkin said: 'Our strong performance reflects the decisive actions we have taken.' Elsewhere, Sabadell shareholders have approved the £2.65billion sale of TSB to Santander.
