Liverpool chief Ian Ayre has welcomed the £260million regeneration plan for the wider Anfield area.

Liverpool are still in the process of securing the necessary properties bordering Anfield in order to push ahead with their stadium redevelopment but Ayre welcomed the more wide-ranging plans.

"The unveiling of this vision for the wider regeneration of the Anfield area is another important step towards transforming the area for the better," he told liverpoolfc.com.

"The club has a track record of working successfully with LCC and others to drive forward improvements to the area, having made a major investment towards the transformation of Stanley Park.

"We are looking forward to working with the partnership and playing a part in the development of the regeneration vision and we strongly encourage local residents, businesses and community groups to get involved in the process and have their say.

"This is also an important milestone as we seek to investigate the feasibility of expanding our stadium.

"We will continue this work, which is just one part of the wider Anfield vision, and there is a great deal of work still to be done to bring those plans to fruition.

"We have always said that any stadium expansion will be subject to detailed economic and social feasibility studies and the community and home owners' support, which includes our ability to purchase the land for the proposed expansion.

"Any expansion is also subject to the club being able to navigate the planning landscape and we are pleased to say that very positive progress is being made."