Although regional authorities themselves acknowledge that Rayo's president wants to move out of Estadio de Vallecas, they are still planning the second phase of its modernization. After a controversial first phase of modernization, they have just announced that they will try to expand the venue to reach 20,000 seats.

The club wants to move out, the authorities and fans want to renovate

Now Estadio de Vallecas has 14,000 seats. If we could reach 20,000, it would be great, Mariano de Paco Serrano, the Madrid Regional Government’s sports councilor, told the media on Sunday. However, as he himself admitted, the ideal solution would be to add 10,000 new seats, but such a task is complicated due to the small area occupied by the stadium.

De Paco Serrano knows that Rayo's management dreams of a 40,000-seater that would allow them to leave the current stadium - which, after years of neglect, is the worst in La Liga - but he points out that after the first phase of modernization, they will carry out the promised second part so that Rayo can play here for another 100 years, if it so wishes.

The councilor also emphasized his satisfaction with the cooperation with the Spanish federation, La Liga authorities, and the club in the first phase of the work, but the reality seems to be different. After several months of work, fans returning to the stadium after the summer break found toilets without doors, cables hanging from the replaced roof, and rubbish left in the stands. Rayo's president was said to be furious with the authorities, but in the end, despite concerns, the club managed to get approval to play in La Liga and the Conference League in Vallecas.

© Comunidad de Madrid | De Paco Serrano (pictured in a suit during a tour of the stadium) assures that Rayo will have a stadium worthy of European competitions.