NEWCASTLE UNITED’s proposed plans for a new stadium to replace St James’ Park have seemingly stalled as the club plans to address other business concerns first.
The Saudi-led ownership group have discussed the prospect of building a new stadium in the city since taking over in 2021.
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Plans for a new 65,000-seat ground on the site of nearby Leazes Park were set to be revealed earlier this year before being delayed.
Now it seems these plans have been pushed back until the club is on more stable ground in other areas.
According to reports from the Daily Mail, the owners had prioritised other issues, namely the appointment of a new chief executive, a new sporting director and the production of a new training ground.
Headway has already been made on the list, with the club announcing David Hopkinson as their new CEO last week.
The executive has spent time working with football giants such as Real Madrid, and most recently held a role as a President and COO overseeing the business of the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers in the US.
Reports suggest Nottingham Forest sporting director Ross Wilson is in line to make the change to the North East to address the second point.
This follows the departure of incumbent sporting director Paul Mitchell, who chose to leave the club in June ahead of the summer window.
The holdup, it seems, remains on the final point, with Newcastle still unable as yet to find a suitable site for the development, having made one initial offer before negotiations fell apart.
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Ground has reportedly been broken on designs for the training ground in collaboration with Populous, the architects behind Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The hope is to make further progress on the training centre in Autumn, but until then, it seems plans for a new stadium will remain on the back-burner.
Calls for a new ground have grown as Newcastle look to establish themselves in the Champions League.
Their current 52,000 capacity ground will host Barcelona on Thursday as the Magpies look to get off to a flying start in the competition.
The Blaugrana are facing their own difficulties as they renovate their stadium, a saga that has been marred by extensive delays.