The eagerly awaited plans seem to have taken a step forward.
The long-term plans from Liverpool to redevelop Anfield appear to have taken a big step forward as managing director Ian Ayre backs a £260m regeneration plan in the area.
The Reds have been wanting to expand their current stadium for some time and have been in the process of buying up properties in the surrounding area in order to fulfill their plans.
Now a new consortium, which is supported by Liverpool City Council and Your Housing Group, has unveiled a fresh idea to build new housing, shopping facilities, offices and hotels, along with an improved Anfield.
“The unveiling of this vision for the wider regeneration of the Anfield area is another important step towards transforming the area for the better,” Ayre was quoted on Sky Sports.
“The club has a track record of working successfully with LCC and others to drive forward improvements to the area, having made a major investment towards the transformation of Stanley Park.
“This is also an important milestone as we seek to investigate the feasibility of expanding our stadium.
“Any expansion is also subject to the club being able to navigate the planning landscape and we are pleased to say that very positive progress is being made.”
In the past discussions had been posed about the Reds sharing a stadium with fierce rivals Everton, although this was obviously not a very popular choice with the fans.
However, these new proposals set out by Ayre will certainly come as positive news to the Merseyside faithful as Anfield’s 45,522 capacity could take a step closer to rivaling the super stadiums of Arsenal and Manchester United, with the Emirates and Old Trafford holding 60,361 and 75,811 respectively.