UEFA is looking for a new host for the 2027 Champions League final after a new twist in the saga over the redevelopment of the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza at San Siro.

A UEFA statement said: “As the municipality of Milano could not guarantee that the San Siro stadium and its surroundings would not be affected by refurbishment works in the period of the 2027 UEFA Champions League final, it was decided not to assign the final to Milan.”

The bidding process is being reopened with a decision expected next May or June. The 2025 final is in Munich and the 2026 final in Budapest.

The Mayor of Milan Giuseppe Sala confirmed this month that AC Milan and Inter Milan, who both play their home games at the San Siro, rejected a proposal to renovate the iconic stadium, which opened in 1926. “They provided detailed analyses of technical and economic feasibility and their conclusions are that this project cannot be carried out at a sustainable cost and that they do not wish to move in this direction,” Sala explained.

Both northern Italian clubs are rather in favour of relaunching the initial project of a new stadium in the immediate vicinity of San Siro.

UEFA’s decision, in May, to announce Milan as the 2027 host city was suspended until September 2024 “subject to the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) submitting information on refurbishment plans for the San Siro stadium in Milan”.

The San Siro last hosted the Champions League final in 2016 when Real Madrid beat Atletico Madrid following a penalty shoot-out.

UEFA has also decided to increase the solidarity fund shareouts to the top five federations and funds allocated to clubs not taking part in men’s continental competitions.