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The ambitions of Inter Milan and AC Milan to erect a new stadium on the hallowed grounds of the San Siro gained significant momentum on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, as Milan’s mayor, Giuseppe Sala, expressed optimism about transferring ownership of the legendary venue to the Serie A titans before the summer recess.
In an interview with RTL 102.5 radio, Sala revealed his anticipation of receiving a comprehensive feasibility assessment, complete with a purchase proposal, from the two clubs on that very day, a document he intends to submit promptly to the Milan city council for deliberation.
He articulated a goal of finalizing the sale of the stadium and its adjacent lands by the onset of the summer break, signaling a decisive step toward reimagining the site’s future.
Renowned as powerhouses in European football, Inter and Milan have long harbored aspirations to supplant the aging San Siro with a state-of-the-art complex, reigniting a collaborative endeavor in October 2024 that had languished in administrative and political limbo since its initial collapse in 2023 after more than three years.
The updated feasibility analysis for this venture—once pegged at a 1.3 billion euro investment—now envisions a selective dismantling of the municipally owned San Siro, transforming its footprint into a blend of verdant parkland, diverse athletic amenities, and vibrant entertainment hubs.
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Before any demolition happens a new stadium, which in the previous project was planned to have a capacity of 60,000 but this time has reportedly been increased to over 70,000, would be built in the area to the immediate west of the current ground which is occupied by car parking and a local park.
The key difference this time round is that Inter and Milan would purchase rather than rent that land, with work to begin not before next year’s Winter Olympics for which the current San Siro will host the opening ceremony.
“It will take a few years, and when the new stadium is ready the clubs will renovate the old stadium, which in my opinion will stay in place as it is now until 2030,” added Sala.
It is important for the clubs and Sala that the San Siro and surrounding land is sold soon as if it is still in public hands by the end of this year, a building protection order preventing the demolition of the current stadium’s second tier will automatically come into effect.
Discontent has emerged among Milan’s city councillors, cutting across party lines, as they voice profound concerns over what they regard as a deliberate circumvention of local democratic processes. They contend that Mayor Giuseppe Sala’s vigorous efforts to expedite the San Siro redevelopment project stem from an acute determination to avoid the historical blemish of overseeing the departure of two of Europe’s preeminent football institutions from the city’s jurisdiction.
In 2023, following the disintegration of a prior stadium proposal, AC Milan strategically acquired a 40-million-euro tract in the adjacent municipality of San Donato Milanese, while Inter Milan explored prospective locations in Rozzano and Assago, both situated to the south of Milan—an indication of contingency plans that underscored the fragility of the San Siro’s future.
Should these clubs ultimately pursue relocation, the repercussions would be politically severe for Sala’s centre-left administration, while also burdening Milan—Italy’s economic nucleus—with a vast, redundant stadium on its periphery. Bereft of its annual seven million euros in rental revenue, the city would confront the formidable task of either reconfiguring the site or razing it entirely, options fraught with fiscal and logistical complexity.
Concurrently, supporters of both clubs have articulated apprehensions that a new venue could precipitate escalated ticket tariffs and the proliferation of premium hospitality enclaves, potentially displacing the affordable seating that accommodates the more than 70,000 steadfast attendees who fill the stands for Inter and Milan’s home contests.
