EL CLASICO could end up being played at Wembley after Barcelona’s £1.25billion renovation of the Nou Camp descended into chaos.
The Spaniards have been playing at Catalonia’s Olympic Stadium for nearly two years while their famous home ground undergoes a major rebuild.
Barcelona were hoping to return to the Nou Camp before the end of the season, as it would be the dream setting for a potential title-decider against fierce rivals Real Madrid on May 11.
However, Barca’s plans have been thrown into turmoil after it emerged that the Nou Camp is unlikely to be ready before next season.
The arena was knocked down in June 2023, with the new stadium built on it foundations.
But despite splashing out £1.25bn to increase capacity from 99,354 to over 105,000, Barcelona chiefs now fear the Nou Camp will not be finished in time for the next El Clasico.
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It leaves them facing life without a base for the final month of the season, with the lease on their temporary Olympic Stadium home expiring in April.
The ideal solution would be for an extension until the summer.
But the 58,000-seater Olympic Stadium has already been booked out for several concerts in May, including the first show of the Rolling Stones’ upcoming European tour.
Barcelona are now exploring the possibility of playing their match against Real abroad, having already seen a December clash against Atletico Madrid in America collapse.
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LaLiga bosses have always dreamed of an El Clasico in the United States, but that would be extremely unlikely right now give the time span.
Instead, the Mail claims that Wembley has emerged as a wildcard option due to it being the venue where Barcelona won their first European Cup in 1992.
The London stadium’s mega 90,000 capacity means that fans from both sides would be able to pack in comfortably.
And with Barcelona hoping to whittle down the seven-point gap to league leaders Real before then, the match could end up becoming a potential title decider.
Hansi Flick’s side have had the better of their rivals three times already this season.
Their first was a 2-1 friendly win August.
And that was followed up by an incredible 4-0 league thumping at the Bernabeu in October.
Earlier this month, Barcelona smashed Real 5-2 to win the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia.
But both sides will be aware of Atletico Madrid looking to spoil the party, with Diego Simeone’s side second in the table – four points off Real and three ahead of Barca.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
