They're currently looking at plans to expand, citing the old line that anything is possible if you have enough money and imagination. But the complexity is such that I suspect they'll end up deciding to move to a new stadium, as Sir John Hall originally wanted to do in the 1990s. Whatever happens, I really don't think it credible that their current owners would be happy to stay for the long term at their current stadium in its current form.
If they do relocate, then to keep the fans onside, they'll have to make the new venue something particularly spectacular. They have the money and ambition to do exactly that.
No, they pulled out of talks because they considered that Mike Ashley wasn't taking the process seriously. But in any case, ADUG didn't start off with an intention of developing land around a club stadium. It became part of the plan when they were presented with a project at City that allowed ample scope to do so.
If they'd ended up buying Everton, say, or Newcastle and built a new stadium there, they might also have opted to develop land around that new venue if the location allowed. But, at the outset, the priority was to acquire a football club, and the development opportunity was secondary.
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