Milan are reportedly considering an alternative site for their new stadium, after running into problems at Portello.
The Rossoneri have won the right to build a new arena next to Casa Milan, but are now in dispute with Fondazione Fiera, which owns the land.
Competing with a rival bid, the Diavolo had agreed to cover all costs of reclaiming the land, but it appears they have now reneged on that agreement.
Milan are reportedly considering an alternative site for their new stadium, after running into problems at Portello.
The Rossoneri have won the right to build a new arena next to Casa Milan, but are now in dispute with Fondazione Fiera, which owns the land.
Competing with a rival bid, the Diavolo had agreed to cover all costs of reclaiming the land, but it appears they have now reneged on that agreement.
The city’s mayor fears the project will never even reach the city council for approval, and Corriere dello Sport reports that Milan are now considering a Plan B.
The newspaper believes they are considering an area of land in the Sesto San Giovanni area of the city, 700 metres from the train station, on the Milan Metro M1 line.
The land is owned by entrepreneur Davide Bizzi, with whom President Silvio Berlusconi has excellent business relations.
The sports daily also believes that Bizzi would be willing to cover the cost of reclaiming the land, sparing an expense which would be incurred at Portello.
In addition, it’s though planning permission would be easier to obtain, as Sesto San Giovanni is located away from the centre of the city.
While not being able to build near Casa Milan would be a blow in terms of establishing a ‘home’ in the city, there are likely to be fewer protests from residents in this area.
In addition, the pre-existing infrastructure, including the metro and a ring road mean the proposed stadium would still be accessible, despite being on the outskirts of the city.
Potential ideas include running shuttles from the metro to the stadium, in order to reduce travel difficulty for supporters.
This model was adopted by Juventus when building Juventus Stadium, on the same site as the old Delle Alpi.
The previous stadium was thought of as hard to access, as it was far from the city centre, but the Bianconeri worked with the local council to include shuttle services.
image via acmilan.com