BARCELONA are redeveloping the iconic Nou Camp but they once planned to relocate to a stunning stadium in the ocean.
The Spanish giants secured a £1.3billion loan to upgrade their ground earlier this year.
Demolition work is still ongoing but the famous venue now looks unrecognisable, with the visor that covered one side of the ground removed.
The renovation of the Nou Camp will add a retractable roof and see the capacity increase to 105,000 – but Barcelona could have played in a much bigger stadium if previous plans did not fall through.
In 2009 the club considered a proposal put forward by architect Emili Vidal to play in a stadium located in the sea.
There were plans for a 150,000 capacity arena to be built in the bay of Barcelona, accessible only by a bridge.
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Barcelona wanted to explore a bigger stadium at the time due to concerns over capacity.
But now the LaLiga champions have been forced to downgrade due to work at the Nou Camp.
That’s because the club will play their home games at the Estadi Lluis Companys Stadium for the 2023-24 campaign.
The venue, which was used as the Olympic stadium for the 1992 Summer Games, has a capacity of just 55,000.
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Barcelona have coped well since being kicked out of their spiritual home – they are second in LaLiga after making an unbeaten start to the season.
But six wins and two draws from eight games means they are one point behind rivals Real Madrid, who went top after beating Girona on Saturday.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
