Manchester City have begun talks about expanding their stadium to a 60,000 capacity as part of their multimillion-pound attempt to be recognised as one of the most powerful clubs in Europe.

Although the plans are only at a very early stage, there have been discussions at boardroom level about whether the City of Manchester Stadium, with its 48,000 capacity, is big enough for what the owners are planning.

The club are expecting a sharp increase in the average gate this season and believe that will continue to be the case while the Abu Dhabi United Group is outspending every other club in England in a bid to turn City into European Cup winners.

>>guardian.co.uk

An interesting piece from Daniel Taylor, but one that leaves a lot of questions unanswered. Namely, at what stage these plans are and when is the expansion planned? And what plans are there for the surrounding areas?

There are no sources or quotes attributed and I do suspect that the plans are still a long way off from becoming reality given that (at this stage at least) there has been no real evidence to support this move.

With the ambitions the ownership has though, it is a natural progression to be thinking about such a move for the long term, and is another indication that the owners are firmly in for the long haul.

If anyone can verify the piece, or provide any further details feel free to leave a comment.