Inter Corporate CEO Alessandro Antonello feels that, at the moment, there is reason for optimism that the new stadium plans with AC Milan can continue as intended.

Speaking in a press conference after the team’s annual shareholders’ meeting, via the Nerazzurri’s official site, Antonello also acknowledged that if plans can’t move ahead, the clubs won’t hesitate to pursue alternate possibilities.

Inter and AC Milan are pressing forward with their plans to build a new stadium to replace the San Siro in Milan.

The new stadium is set to be a vital part of the clubs’ improvements in infrastructure, and to increase revenues so that they can compete at the top of European football.

At the moment, the public debate surrounding the plans is ongoing.

Should there be a positive conclusion to the debate for the clubs, then a major bureaucratic hurdle will have been cleared and they will be much closer to being able to start construction on the new stadium.

This would be the priority of the clubs, although it has also been reported that they have identified alternate plans if they cannot receive approval to build in the San Siro area.

This has been something that the clubs have always been open about, and Antonello continued to emphasize this.

“The stadium is one of the pillars for the future of the club,” the Corporate CEO said, “a project that we’ve been carrying out since 2019.”

“We have listened to citizens and all those involved in the project,” he continued.

Antonello updated that “We remain positive about it, Mayor Sala is also confident regarding the public debate.”

“If we cannot get a positive conclusion, or if there are further requests made that would be hard to accommodate in the original plans, however, we will consider alternate ideas that would result in us having a new facility at a high European standard that can guarantee resources to the club.”

Asked if the Nerazzurri have yet identified a new shirt sponsor to replace DigitalBits, Antonello replied that “At the moment we are in talks with a number of parties, there’s no specific sector that we’re considering.”

“Prospective partners must make the necessary assessments,” he continued.

“We hope to close this chapter as soon as possible,” he said of the search for a new shirt sponsor.

Of the new stadium plans with city rivals AC Milan, Antonello stressed that “We’re working together in harmony with Milan. We will try to meet any unexpected challenges together.”

And of the expected new deal with Nike, he said that “The negotiation has been ongoing for a long time, we’re now in the final stages.”

“The collaboration that has bound us together with Nike for 25 years means that there was a lot of ground on which to move forward together.”

“Compared to the previous contract, there will be a repositioning of our club reflecting our status as one of the top clubs in Europe, we’re the only Serie A club represented by Nike.”

“There is great satisfaction on both sides,” he said of the talks with Nike.