Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo says that the club's new stadium plans are on track, with all involved working together to get the necessary infrastructure in place for the start of the 2017-18 season.
Atletico first announced plans back in 2009 to move from the centrally-located Estadio Vicente Calderon to a new home in the former athletics stadium La Peineta on the outskirts of the city.
The project has been hit by various setbacks over the years, including planning problems around a project to build 30 storey residential towers on the Calderon site, and debates with local authorities about the provision of transport links to the new ground.
Leaders in the city council and local government have argued publicly over who was responsible for funding and managing the development of the required infrastructure, with central government ministers and metro chiefs also needing to come to an agreement.
During a debate in September, PSOE city councillor Mercedes Gonzalez joked that "helicopters" would be needed to bring fans to the new ground.
Despite this Atletico have recently accelerated their plans for the move, with season tickets for 2017-18 at the new stadium already on sale, and regular updates on the construction works shared via social media.
NEW STADIUM ? This is how the works to place the compression cover are advancing. Find out more! ➡️ https://t.co/jxPIrxf84G pic.twitter.com/YGx2sT31Jj
- Atleti English (@atletienglish) October 3, 2016
Cerezo told reporters at the announcement of a lighting system for the new ground that the club was working with the local authorities to ensure that "everything" would be ready on time.
"The stadium will be a reality next year," Cerezo said. "We are working as a team with the regional government and the town hall so that we can have installed for next season - new lights, new services, parking, restaurants, metro, everything."
La Peineta was opened in 1994 as an athletics stadium, and has since formed part of three unsuccessful bids for Madrid to host the Olympic Games. When transformation work has been completed Atletico say the capacity will be 70,000 and it will be a candidate to host the Champions League final in coming years.
Atletico are likely to sell naming rights before moving in -- although 48 percent of respondents to a Marca online poll said they would prefer 'Estadio Luis Aragones', with 17 percent choosing 'Nuevo Calderon' and just 8.5 percent wanting a sponsor's name on their new home.
Speaking at the lighting partner announcement Cerezo was asked about this issue, but declined to give any details of the club's current thinking.
"We have the lights sorted, but not yet the name," Cerezo said. "We are not so enlightened as to say [yet] what the name of the new stadium will be."