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After some challenging years, both Inter and AC Milan are finally back at the level they used to be. The Nerazzurri, in particular, appear to be closing in on their 20th Serie A title and becoming the second Italian club after Juventus to earn their second star. Milan have found some stability, they've won the Serie A recently and made a run to the Champions League semifinals last season, losing to Inter.

However, both sides are still struggling to find a solution for their home stadium. The iconic San Siro, one of the most incredible and astonishing facilities around the world, might not be their home in the near future. It's quite difficult to follow the news and what is happening on a daily basis in this story, considering that there is a strong political aspect as of late. Let's break down all the latest: 

Why the clubs want to leave

San Siro is one of those places to be if you're into soccer. The iconic stadium hosted games from the 1934 and 1990 World Cups, four Champions League finals, games at UEFA Euro 1980 and numerous iconic musical acts like The Rolling Stones, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Madonna and more. 

There are multiple reasons why both clubs want to leave San Siro, but on top of everything, there is a financial explanation. In Italy, most of the stadiums are owned by the city and the clubs pay rent. This is happening for all the Italian clubs, except Juventus, Atalanta and Udinese. For this technicality, the clubs that are renting the stadium can't make as much in revenue as the others that own their respective stadium and can't also invest as much as they want to renovate the infrastructure. 

San Siro was built back in 1926 and saw a few major renovations in 1937, 1954, 1990 and 2015, but even if it's still one of the most iconic stadiums around the world, it can't compete with other ones in terms of revenue. Both Inter and AC Milan's first idea was to keep and renovate San Siro, but as the Nerazzurri CEO Alessandro Antonello pointed out, that was not possible.

"The first tier was built in 1926, the second in 1956 and a third added in 1990 with the roof. These were placed one on top of the other, but have very little connection between them. This means there are very limited spaces for businesses and restoration," he said recently. 

The mayor of Milan, Beppe Sala, met with Inter CEO Alessandro Antonello and with AC Milan president Paolo Scaroni just this month to discuss another potential restructuring but there are still some issues that need to be solved. In fact, while clubs are still worried about the potential revenue losses for the seasons that will be affected by the works, they are already concretely working on their new projects. 

AC Milan working on a new project

Since American owner Gerry Cardinale took over the club in the summer of 2022,  AC Milan actively worked for a new stadium. The initial idea was to build a stadium with Inter in the same area of San Siro, but things didn't move as quickly as hoped by the two clubs, also due to the fact that Milan will host the 2026 Olympic games and San Siro will host the opening ceremony. Before then, the work couldn't start. AC Milan and Inter started to work on their own projects, and the Rossoneri already completed the acquisition of a package of land for the project in San Donato Milanese, in the southeastern part of Milan. 

The municipality of San Donato Milanese started a "long and complex path" towards delivering a new 70,000-seat stadium for the Italian giants, with the project clearing its first major bureaucratic hurdle. The municipal council approved an initial proposal presented by the club in September when it officially announced for the first time that it was pursuing a new stadium project. Along with the 70,000-seat stadium, the plan also includes a hotel, catering facilities, offices, a club store and museum, a large plaza, an auditorium and a parking lot for 3,500 vehicles. The club estimated that the cost of the new stadium would be around €451 million, with the overall project more than double this at €949 million. 

Inter are also active 

Inter are also working for a new facility in the south of Milan. The Nerazzurri have pinpointed the area of Rozzano, not far away from the Assago Forum, where the Olimpia Milano basketball team play and where most of the indoor concerts take place in the city. The infrastructure would host 70,000 spectators and have an oval shape, making it similar to the Tottenham Stadium or SoFi Stadium. A complete project will be created by April 2024, and it is also anticipated that the facility will be ready for the season 2028-29.

On December 2023, Inter issued the latest statement on the matter, saying "FC Internazionale Milano is strongly committed to the project of our new stadium which could be built on the outskirts of Milan, in the municipality of Rozzano. The project, managed by the international studio Populous, involves the construction of a modern, sustainable, accessible facility, surrounded by greenery and equipped with refreshment areas, shops and services. A 70,000-seat sports facility, designed to provide the best comfort and an exciting and immersive experience for fans, which can contribute to the development of the city and which is easily connected to the center of Milan, integrating with existing infrastructure."

Finally, as things stand, it looks like that the two different stadiums outside Milan are the most likely scenario right now. The chance to not see any more soccer played at San Siro is sadly increasing month after month, but if we learned one thing in this story is to not take everything as done because everything can change quickly.