ISPORTCONNECT / BARCELONA: Spanish champions Barcelona will decide in January whether to expand Nou Camp or submit plans to move to a new stadium.

The club have commissioned a study on the viability of both projects with the objective to increase the capacity of their home ground to 105,000. Nou Camp currently claims to be the largest ground in Europe with a capacity of 99,354.

Members will be given the opportunity to vote on the proposals.

Barcelona Toni Freixa explained on the club’s official website it had two choices: “The construction of a new stadium on the land on Diagonal, property which belongs to the University of Barcelona, or a profound remodelling project that would constitute a new stadium keeping the current structure of the Camp Nou.

“Both would have a capacity of 105,000 spectators, the stadium would be covered, there will be a construction of a new Palau with a capacity of 12,000 spectators, an adjacent court with a capacity of 2,000 spectators, 6,000 new parking spots and access to the Ciutat Esportiva of the Miniestadi.

“We’ve made advances, we have all the information and we’re in a position to make a decision.”

With a new stadium expecting to drain the funds, Freixa insisted any project would not harm the club, adding: “It needs to be viable from a technical perspective, urbanist and economic. We would never submit a project that would endanger the sustainability of the club.”

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