MANCHESTER CITY are looking to increase the capacity of the Etihad Stadium to over 60,000.
The home of the champions currently holds 53,500 but they are exploring ways of extending the North Stand behind the goal.
City already have planning permission to do the work – having obtained it prior to adding a third tier to the South Stand back in 2015.
While there is no set time frame in place, club sources say the project is back on the table and they are doing their research on various different configurations.
Matching up the two ends behind the goals is one option but so too is combining the tiers.
Ways of adding more corporate areas to the stadium, which has been City’s home since 2003, are also being looked at.
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Meanwhile, the possibility of a hotel on the site has also been mentioned.
The work is likely to be expensive compared to the South Stand revamp cost of around £75million seven years ago.
A new music venue – the Co-op Live Arena – is currently being built next to the stadium in East Manchester.
That £365million project, spearheaded by the City Football Group and US giant Oak View Group, is due for completion in December 2023.
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City want that 23,500 seat venue finished before they start work on the Etihad as they do not want another huge construction project on the site at the same time.
After winning four of the last five Premier League titles, City are now operating at 99 per cent capacity and saw season ticket sales of 36,500 this summer.
Depending on what plans they finally decide on, it could see the Etihad become the third biggest club stadium in the country after Old Trafford and the new home of Tottenham.
Arsenal and West Ham are currently around the 60,000 mark.
Extending the Etihad to that kind of level would make it eligible to host a Champions League final in future under UEFA’s strict capacity criteria.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
