Jim Ratcliffe’s Old Trafford rebuild at Manchester United would see huge capacity increase, but it won’t be biggest in Europe

Old Trafford is in desperate need of a new lick of paint, but could also get a gargantuan capacity boost.

News of a Manchester United ownership shuffle has brought with it hope of a renovation, with the stadium a big talking topic in current negotiations.

Those discussions are between the current Glazer family ownership and Manchester born Jim Ratcliffe, who looks set to purchase a 25 per cent share in the club.

The £1.3billion deal, which could be approved as soon as Thursday, would see the Ineos chairman taking a central role in footballing matters.

Chiefly among those is the redevelopment of Old Trafford, which has even been criticised by Cristiano Ronaldo, alongside numerous fans of the 75,811 capacity ‘Theatre of Dreams’.

The Times reports that Ratcliffe and Ineos are planning to explore how to rebuild Old Trafford into a 90,000 seater, increasing its current capacity by almost 15,000.

That number is certainly headline making, and there’s a reason why, as it would put the stadium on par with Wembley.

The home of England’s national team was opened in 2007 and has long been the standard bearer in European football, hosting multiple Champions League finals and numerous other sporting and music events.

Old Trafford would likely boast the same opportunities should it be expanded, and it would also move up from ninth on the list to joint second, leapfrogging a number of the world’s most recognisable sporting arenas.

The one it wouldn’t jump is Barcelona’s Camp Nou, which had a Europe-leading capacity of 99,354.

On top of that, the Camp Nou is currently in a series of skips after being knocked down, with the new Spotify Camp Nou planned for re-opening in 2024.

Multiple reports suggest that date is ambitious, but when the new arena