Manchester is set to be the new home of the National Football Museum, council officials have confirmed. Talks are at an advanced stage over the move from Preston to Manchester's Urbis exhibition centre, which would take place early next year, reports the Guardian.

The museum at Preston North End's Deepdale Stadium attracts more than 100,000 visitors per year and is free to view.

A Manchester City Council spokesman said: "The council can confirm that it is in talks with the National Football Museum about proposals for it to relocate to Urbis.

"All parties agree that the idea represents an exciting opportunity to build on the achievements of the Urbis team, who helped attract more than a quarter of a million visitors to Urbis last year.

"The National Football Museum has also been a great success, attracting over 100,000 visitors each year. However, it no longer has sufficient funding to continue operating at its current location."

The leader of Preston Council, Councillor Ken Hudson, said it would fight to keep the attraction before a final decision was made and will hold urgent talks with museum chiefs next week.

Paul Dermody, chair of Trustees of the National Football Museum, said: "While the museum has gone from success to success in Preston since it opened in 2001, the funding of the museum has always been a concern, but with the backing of Manchester City Council, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the football family its future will be secured. The museum's success will continue to expand as the collections and the community work it undertakes will be exposed to a significantly greater audience than at present."