Liverpool set to buy back old training ground – despite splashing £50m on new facilities

A piece of Liverpool history is poised for a comeback as the club looks to repurchase their former Melwood training base.

Jurgen Klopp’s side relocated to the £50million Kirkby site – otherwise known as the AXA training centre – in November 2020 after almost 70 years at Melwood. Affordable housing developer Torus paid roughly £10m for the old training complex, but talks are now ‘at an advanced stage’ to sell the site back to the Reds.

The Athletic reported Liverpool are planning to move their women’s team to Melwood after searching for a dedicated site to host Matt Beard’s outfit. The FA Women’s Super League side currently use Tranmere Rovers’ Solar Campus for training, but Melwood in West Derby would make for a fine upgrade.

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Any move back to Melwood could be a relief for local residents, who may have been irked by Torus’ plans to build 162 houses and apartments on the site. The planning permission for that work was granted in December 2022, but James Pearce wrote the development ‘is now set to be scrapped’.

“We can confirm that Torus is in negotiations with LFC to reacquire the Melwood site,” a Torus spokesperson told The Athletic. “As negotiations are ongoing it would be inappropriate to comment any further at this time. When we are able, we will provide an update.”

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Liverpool legends Jamie Carragher and Robbie Fowler have been running a youth academy for 16 to 19-year-olds from the site since September 2022 after agreeing a long-term lease with Torus. It’s believed their operation will be allowed to continue under the current takeover plans, which would see them share the ground with Liverpool women.

Although it’s unknown exactly how much the Reds will have to fork out to move back to Melwood, it’s certain to be more than the sum they sold for nearly four years ago. Torus will need to recoup the cost of any planning permission proposals, in addition to the changing economy and rise in property value in the area.

Liverpool won an FA Cup and League Cup double in their first full campaign training at Kirkby, though they slumped to a fifth-place league finish this term. Reports have also emerged of players complaining there’s too much wind at the new site.

Elsewhere, there’s more change afoot on Merseyside after the Anfield development entered a new phase this past weekend. Developers removed the old roof connected to the Main Stand in a move that will see Liverpool boast the fourth-biggest capacity in the Premier League next season.

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