Man Utd feel Burnham exit won't impact stadium plans
· Yahoo Sports
Manchester United expect their new stadium plans to be unaffected by Andy Burnham's departure as Greater Manchester mayor.
Burnham has been heavily involved in the plans for a new ground close to the current Old Trafford site, which is intended to be the centre piece of a 'multi-billion-pound masterplan' to regenerate the entire area.
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However, while Burnham's Makerfield by-election victory means he must stand down as Mayor, triggering an election the most likely date for which is 30 July, the Old Trafford project is covered by a Mayoral Development Corporation, chaired by Lord Sebastian Coe.
Multiple sources have told BBC Sport the MDC is legally binding and has been constituted by Parliament, so only the Government can scrap it.
United feel no matter who the new Mayor is, or which party they come from, their work on a stadium that is likely to cost in excess of £2bn, can continue.
While club sources have said work has been going on behind the scenes, they hope to make a breakthrough in their negotiations with Freightliner over the land needed to build the new stadium this summer.
A deal with Freightliner is understood to be the key to unlocking the project. Until United know what land they can use, they cannot settle on a final design, which is needed to establish how much it will cost and to work out the best way to fund it.
Minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe unveiled his grand vision for a 100,000-capacity stadium in March 2025.
United want to continue playing at Old Trafford until the new stadium is built.