Milan are set to quit the San Siro in 2017.
Milan, who cohabit with city rivals Inter, are reported to be preparing to leave the San Siro and move into a new stadium in time for the 2016-17 season.
Whilst there has been speculation in recent years that it would be Inter who would leave the shared stadium, recent reports have suggested that Milan, at the prompting of Barbara Berlusconi, daughter of club owner, Silvio, who will be relocating.
Speculation today is that Milan have been working over the past six months on plans for a new stadium to be built six kilometres to the north-west, where the Fiera Milan exhibition is currently based and where Expo 2015 will be held.
Arexpo, the organisation formed by city authorities to buy up the area of land and oversee its development from 2015, confirmed in November that Milan had expressed an interest in developing the land.
They have set a deadline of March 14 – for Milan to submit proposals for a new stadium which will form part of a wider multi-sports and conference development.
SportMediaset and Il Giorno say that Milan plan to begin construction at the end of Expo 2015, in the autumn of that year, and have work completed in time for the 2016-17 season, although it may be that the team cannot move in until the following year.
Inter, in turn, are reported to favour staying at the stadium and carrying out renovation work to improve facilties at a ground which has not been upgraded since the 1990 World Cup.
The two Milanese clubs have shared the Giuseppe Meazza since the 1947-48 campaign. However, the stadium is council-owned, meaning both clubs miss out on potentially lucrative sources of commercial revenue. The example of Juventus, who left their previous council-run stadium to move into a purpose built privately owned ground in 2011, is understood to have been a motivating factor in Milan’s decision to pursue a new home.
