It might seem that over the past few months the case of a new facility in Milan has not progressed much. The truth turns out to be quite different, as behind-the-scenes many moves have been made, bringing the investment closer to finally begin.

AC Milan's owner has a plan on how to accelerate the start of investment?

A new stadium to replace the legendary but run-down San Siro has been talked about for years. Both Milan and Inter have been working for a long time to have a facility built to serve both clubs in place of the current arena. It was estimated to cost €1.2 billion to build, with an initial opening scheduled for mid-2027. It turned out, however, that there might be a problem with this. Officials who are against development of the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza area looked unfavorably on such a solution. Seeing these difficulties, Milan's authorities began to develop contingency options, as we wrote more about in this text.

The portal Sempremilan.com reported that not long time ago there was a meeting between Milan mayor Giuseppe Sala and Lombardy president Attilio Fontana, at which Gerry Cardinale - president of RedBird Capital Partners, the consortium that owns AC Milan, and Tim Romani - head of CAA ICON, the company responsible for advising on the development of an investment of new arena in Milan - were also present. During the meeting, Cardinale was said to have hinted that, in the event of a disagreement, Milan has a contingency concept ready and will pursue it without the involvement of the city government. Hence Romani's presence at the meeting - his figure was a clear signal that Cardinale wants to speed things up.

© Populous / Nuovo Stadio Milano

AC Milan will play out of the city?

According to Italian daily Corriere della Sera, the vision of building a joint stadium between Milan and Inter has finally collapsed. The Nerazzurri authorities felt uneasy about the turn of events, because for their team such solution means staying at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza or building their arena in a completely different location. Press reports indicate that Milan is said to have two investment concepts prepared. The first concerns Sesto San Giovanni. The town adjacent to Milan is 16 kilometers from the San Siro, but is well connected to the center of the agglomeration. In favor of this option is the fact that the authorities of this locality are in a position to help the Rossoneri, facilitating the acquisition of all construction permits.

The second option involves building a stadium on the site of the old Ippodromo La Maura cycling track. It is located only a kilometer away from the San Siro. This variant may be harder to implement, as the site is located within Milan's administrative borders. Here, however, bureaucratic and environmental complexities, as well as the lack of adequate spatial plans for the development of the area, are standing in the way. If Milan decides on Sesto San Giovanni then surely Inter will look for a completely different location for its future arena. For the time being, the owners of the Nerazzurri seem to be furious with the actions of their rivals from across the border, as they give the impression of not being very eager to continue working with them.

© Populous / Nuovo Stadio Milano