Manchester United are planning to build a new 100,000-seater stadium and controversial co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe suggested taxpayers could help fund the £2billion project
Steven Railston and Neil Docking
11:27, 12 Nov 2025Updated 11:29, 12 Nov 2025
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(Image: Getty Images)
Andy Burnham has doubled down on his promise that "not a penny of public money" will go towards building Manchester United's new stadium, New Trafford.
Back in March, United rolled out their bold blueprint for a cutting-edge 100,000-capacity ground to replace Old Trafford at a glitzy London launch, with the club's controversial co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe suggesting the mammoth project could be wrapped up by 2030. The billionaire tax exile even suggested taxpayers could help pay for the £2billion scheme.
Ratcliffe, behind a swathe of brutal cuts at United since the INEOS chemicals chairman took the reins in February 2024, argued: "People in the north pay their taxes and there is an argument you could think about a more ambitious project in the north which would be fitting for England, for the Champions League final or the FA Cup final."
The Greater Manchester mayor has already made it crystal clear that no public cash would be stumped up for the stadium itself, and he's stuck to his guns on The Added Time Podcast.
Nevertheless, a Mayoral Development Corporation has just been set up for the wider regeneration scheme around the ground, which promises to deliver massive economic rewards, reports the Manchester Evening News.
New Trafford could be a reality sooner rather than later
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New Trafford could be a reality sooner rather than later(Image: Foster and Partners / SWNS)
Burnham said: "It's not about giving them money because we have a really clear principle here at the start of this journey with the Mayoral Development Corporation. Manchester United will be paying for the stadium. There will not be a penny of public money going into that.
"But we have absolutely a role to play in making everything around the stadium as good as it can be because of the economic benefit that brings. If you think about it, there is a train station behind the stand there and it's not been used for a number of years for safety reasons.
"Part of it would see that station relocated a little bit, maybe a bit nearer Lou Macari's chippy or somewhere near there, and that would then reopen and massively benefit existing communities, Gorst Hill, Stretford and the people who live there, so the public benefit of this would be massive.
"Thousands of new homes, thousands of new jobs, so it's much wider than the ground itself."
Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has spoken on the plans for a 'New Trafford'
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Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has spoken on the plans for a 'New Trafford'
The Manchester Evening News has revealed that United and the city region are working together with hopes of securing major matches from the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2035 for the venue, with the showpiece final amongst their targets.
Burnham backed the ambition to stage the 2035 World Cup final in Manchester, explaining: "I am closely involved to the point where we've just asked parliament to establish a Mayoral Development Corporation. So that is a vehicle, a legal entity, that will oversee the wider regeneration of the whole area.
"That is more my responsibility, the wider environment around any new stadium. It's a huge opportunity for us as a city and a region. If you think about that area, it's the area around the old Salford docks.
"You've got Media City on the other side. This could be a global location if we get it right. I know people here kind of struggle to see why it impacts life on this end of the M62 [Liverpool], but actually there are freight terminals behind the existing Old Trafford that send lots of trains through Manchester city centre.
Manchester United revealed what 'New Trafford' may look like in a glimpse of the 100,000-seat stadium plans
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Manchester United revealed what 'New Trafford' may look like in a glimpse of the 100,000-seat stadium plans(Image: Man Utd)
"That is a major cause of the chaos on railways across the north because it causes blockages in Manchester. Therefore, every train coming across the country is often then late getting over to Liverpool.
"So it's a project that actually makes sense on loads of levels. It actually would lead to the freight tunnels being relocated to St Helens and therefore growth here [Liverpool].
"It's a major growth project for the whole of the north west. And the enticing prospect in my mind is if we really get it moving, I think there's a fairly high likelihood that we will be hosting the women's FIFA World Cup in 2035.
"Imagine a final at that new Old Trafford. It would be quite something, wouldn't it?".
The blueprint for the fresh stadium has been put on hold whilst talks continue over securing crucial land parcels. Freightliner owns the railway depot that surrounds Old Trafford, and this territory is vital to making the ambitious plans a reality.
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United remain confident they can strike a bargain to snap up the land needed for their groundbreaking stadium venture.