Wednesday 12 October 2016 20:27, UK
Liverpool's chief executive Ian Ayre says the £60m-£70m cost of redeveloping the Anfield Road end of the club's stadium is difficult to justify as a business deal.
Ayre told a meeting of Liverpool Supporters' Committee (LSC) that it could take 15 years to pay back, which he said was "not a smart investment for the business".
Liverpool opened their redeveloped Main Stand earlier this season, raising seating capacity to more than 54,000, and have outlined planning permission to extend Anfield Road by a further 4,800.
However, at the meeting, Ayre said it was difficult to justify the latest expansion from a business perspective.
The £114m construction of the Main Stand was funded by an interest-free loan from Liverpool's owner, Fenway Sports Group, which the club expects to repay in six years, mainly because the stand now contains more income-generating hospitality seats.
"A stand behind a goal doesn't have the benefit of hospitality that would go a long way to meet the redevelopment costs," Ayre said.
"If you consider the redevelopment of Anfield Road from a purely general admission perspective, building, say, 6,000 extra seats to take the capacity up to 60,000 would cost somewhere between £60m-70m.
"At £12,000 to £13,000 pounds per seat, it would take approximately 15 years to pay back, which is not a smart investment for the business."
Ayre said FSG was still looking for a "rounded solution" and appeared to leave the door open to the idea of supporters playing a part in raising the amount needed to redevelop Anfield Road.
When asked by LSC member Graham Smith if the club would appeal for financial support so that fans could get involved, Ayre said he could not speak for FSG or its plans, but said the proposition was an interesting one.
"We should have that conversation," he said.
