Manchester City have signed a £1 billion agreement with Manchester City Council to develop land around their stadium.

The scheme will transform one of the poorest areas of the city, creating thousands of jobs as the site is turned into a “world class sports and leisure complex”.

Ever since Sheikh Mansour completed his takeover in 2008 there have been suggestions that he wanted to develop the land around the City of Manchester Stadium, with a new training ground among the ideas that have been mentioned.

That plan is now set to reach fruition as part of the wider project, with AC Milan’s luxurious Milanello complex the template for a centre which will include training pitches and state-of-the-art medical facilities.

The first phase of the development will involve a “market place-style fan zone” on Joe Mercer Way, the current approach to the stadium.

With a Metrolink stop set to be incorporated at the Sport City side as part of the current expansion of the local transport network, ample opportunity for further development is envisaged within a three-way partnership between City, the council and New East Manchester, an urban regeneration company.

“Manchester City has been and always will be at the heart of the community it serves in the City of Manchester,” Garry Cook, the City chief executive, said.

“The longer term considerations for the area reflect the long term commitment of our owners to the club and the community it serves.”

While manager Roberto Mancini is happy with the club’s current training ground he welcomes the new initiative. “This is a good thing for the club and the city, although I am happy with this facility [Carrington],” he said. “But if we can improve [the training ground] it will be better for me and the players.”

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