Football stadium that's been 'ghost ground' for years despite plans to make it world's best receives major update
Work on a football stadium belonging to one of Europe's fallen giants is set to resume years after it became a 'ghost ground'.
Outside of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla, Valencia are one of the biggest clubs in Spanish football, with six La Liga titles, eight Copa del Rey titles and two Champions League final appearances back in 2000 and 2001.
The club have had huge stars like David Silva, David Villa and Juan Mata in their ranks but have experienced a monumental fall from grace in recent times and currently lie at the very foot of the La Liga table after 19 games.
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With just two wins and 13 points so far, Los Che have brought in former West Brom boss Carlos Corberan in an attempt to avoid disastrous relegation to the second tier.
But despite their precarious situation, Valencia are pressing forward with plans for a new stadium - 16 years after they started work on it.
The Nou Mestalla was promised to be the "world's greatest football stadium" and listed as a possible venue for the 2010 Champions League final which would end up taking place at the Santiago Bernabeu.
After the club racked up debts of £350 million by 2008, they had to put the project on hold. But with the foundations still present on the site, which is 4km from Valencia's iconic ground, work is now poised to be recommence after the club announced plans on social media on Saturday.
As per a report from The Sun, Valencia are said to be taking out a £270m loan from Goldman Sachs to cover the finances required, with the idea that they will begin paying it back in 2027 over 20-25 years.
The capacity is slated to be 70,044, an increase of 20,000 from their current home - with Valencia president Lay Hoon Chan calling the stadium a "monument" and "beacon of hope" for the city.
3,000 hospitality seats are proposed for the project, which is being overseen by the same contractor as initially agreed 18 years ago.
Valencia hope the stadium will be ready for the 2027/28 campaign and there is even a chance it could make a late bid to host games in the 2030 World Cup.
Josh Lawless