New owners have plans to make Man City bigger and better

It is understood that new City owner, Sheik Mansour bin Zayed al Nayhan, is ready to pay Council the £50million it would take to buy the ground that was built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games and is leased to the club for £2m-a-year.

Sheik Mansour wants eventually to expand the 47,000-capacity stadium and take it towards the capacity of 78,000 currently enjoyed by neighbours Manchester United.

City big players: Manager Mark Hughes talks to new City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak while plans are afoot to expand the club's stadium

He believes this would be difficult if the ground was still in public hands. The Sheik also has plans to buy up acres of land adjacent to the stadium in East Manchester so that he can move the first-team training ground from its current Carrington base and the academy training centre from Platt Lane near the city centre.

Indeed, parents of some youngsters currently enrolled at Platt Lane have already been told of the plans. Sheik Mansour has privately outlined a vision of how he wants the stadium site to develop and it is understood that it also involves a five-star hotel and shopping complex.

However, he is also aware there are several obstacles to overcome if his ambitious plan is to come to fruition.

The Sheik's chairman at City, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, has already met Sir Richard Leese, the leader of Manchester City Council, and although the politician did not dismiss the plans out of hand, he did make the City party aware that the local authority does not - as a rule - sell off public land.

City will also have to convince Sport England the plan is worthwhile as it was that organisation which made the largest and most decisive financial contribution to the building of the stadium ahead of the Commonwealth Games.

Sources close to City believe that the club will have to pay over the odds if the deal is to succeed.

Sir Richard said before meeting Khaldoon: 'I am looking forward to meeting representatives of the new owners of the club to discuss exciting proposals not just for Manchester City but also for the whole of East Manchester.'

One site of particular interest to the Arab group is the land that was initially set aside for the government's "Super Casino", a project that did not get off the ground.

City have the City of Manchester Stadium on a 250-year lease but the present arrangement means the local council takes a 50 per cent cut of all match-day gate revenue above and beyond 34,000 - the capacity of the old Maine Road ground.