Liverpool agree to sell historic Melwood training ground ahead of move to Kirkby

Forthcoming season Liverpool's last at historic West Derby base

Liverpool have agreed a deal to sell their historic Melwood training ground before relocating to a new, state-of-the-art facility in Kirkby.

Torus, an affordable housing provider, has acquired the rights to redevelop the club's existing base in West Derby for an estimated £10m.

The forthcoming season will be the Liverpool first-team squad's final year at Melwood before it is demolished and repurposed in the summer of 2020.

Jurgen Klopp, his staff and players will move over to the Kirkby site ahead of the 2020-21 campaign, with work having started on the redevelopment base last year.

The Kirkby campus is already home to Liverpool's academy. The decision was taken in 2018 to integrate all the club's training operations on one site.

“Today marks another significant milestone in this hugely important and ambitious project," said Andy Hughes, executive vice president of operations and finance at Liverpool.

“It is with a heavy heart that we announce the sale of the Melwood site having played such a significant role in the club’s history. But the site is limited in terms of space and is unable to accommodate the club’s ambitions for a new first-class combined training facility.

“It’s over two years since we started this journey and we’d like to thank everyone who has been involved, particularly local residents in West Derby for their feedback and patience during this tender process.

“All funds from the sale of the Melwood site will be reinvested back into the first-team squad and the state-of-the-art training centre at the new Kirkby site.”

Torus are yet to finalise plans for Melwood though assured that the training ground's history and legacy would be reflected in the site's future.