Manchester United’s owners could be forced to fork out over £740million for stadium renovation fees before they even think about starting work on a new-look Old Trafford. Plans were revealed last year for Old Trafford’s regeneration project, with talk of building a brand new 100,000-seater stadium on the same plot of land as the current ground.

The controversial canopy designs were made by the architects Foster + Partners, with an ambitious timescale of four to five years for the build. As of last month, very little progress has been made, with the club still searching for the necessary land and financing.

However, across in the United States, the Glazer family are also looking to do similar for their NFL franchise, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Granted, it isn’t as bold or as expensive a project as United’s, but it’s still estimated to cost around £740m.

It’s reported by the Daily Mail that the Glazers are in talks with the Tampa Sports Authority about renovating Raymond James Stadium. The NFL stadium was built in 1998 and will host one of England’s pre-World Cup warm-up matches in the summer. The Glazers must decide by February 2027 if they want to extend their lease by another five years.

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Chief of the Buccaneers, Brian Ford, said: “We met recently with the Tampa Sports Authority, Hillsborough County, and the City of Tampa to discuss developing a long-term plan that supports the stadium’s ability to continue hosting major events which contribute to the success of our region.”

Meanwhile, as far as the new United stadium is concerned, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS have taken the lead with that. During the latest update, stadium development CEO Collette Roche told ESPN the project is still on track, despite very little in the way of public updates since the plans were revealed.

She said: “I think when we launched the idea of a new stadium 12 months ago, we did say it would take between four and five years for construction and that’s right. But I think people read that as we might have the stadium ready for 2030.

“But as you know, with a stadium build as complex as the one that we’re going to enter into, it does take one or two years to get ready for construction. To get the land assembled, to get the funds in place and to get the planning permission. So that’s the part that we’re doing right now. So we’ve not named a date for opening, but we are on track within those timescales.”

Roche continued: “Some of the examples of progress we’ve made are first and foremost in land assembly. We want to make sure we get the best possible position for this stadium, one which has got plenty of land around it to put the right facilities in place, one that’s connected and offers a great match day experience.

“I’ve been spending a lot of time talking to all the local landowners to understand where that needs to be, and we’re progressing that really, really well, and I’m hoping to be able to share some positive news on that front in the next few months.”