Sources: Newcastle United open talks over landmark St James' Park deal
Newcastle United have opened talks with architectural design group Populous over the expansion of St James’ Park, Football Insider understands.
The Magpies are in the early stages of planning an expansion to their home stadium and have consulted Populous, who were behind the £1.2billion construction of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
St James’ Park currently holds a capacity of 52,000, but the Tyneside club have sold out every home game so far in the 2023/24 season.
The Newcastle board want to expand the stadium to match demand, and Football Insider understands that they intend to increase capacity to over 60,000.
The planning process is in very early stages, and Newcastle are currently searching for a construction group willing to take the project on.
Populous managing director Christopher Lee confirmed to iNews that his firm are interested in becoming involved with Newcastle’s stadium project.
Populous were hired by Tottenham to oversee the construction of their state-of-the-art 62,850-capacity stadium, and they have also previously worked with Arsenal.
They are also involved in Manchester City’s £300million project to expand the Etihad Stadium.
Newcastle could become the latest client on their roster, although the location of St James’ Park provides unique challenges due to its location in the city’s centre.
Newcastle’s new Saudi Arabian owners have already invested in the surrounding area of the stadium after acquiring a plot of land at Strawberry Place and constructing a new fan zone in collaboration with new shirt sponsors Sela.