Liverpool are to ignore a call from the city council to ground share with rivals Everton and will press on with their own plans for a new stadium in Stanley Park, according to chief executive Rick Parry.
Liverpool council chief executive David Henshaw has urged the two Merseyside clubs to consider sharing a single stadium and the council have suggested the idea will receive funding.
But Parry revealed that Liverpool intend to apply for planning permission in the next two weeks and hope to start work on their new home next year.
They intend to have the ground, and its local community facilities, ready before the prestigious City of Culture event is held in Liverpool in 2007.
"This is no false dawn. We are working round the clock to put the funding packages in place," Parry told the Liverpool website. "We've spent millions so far in putting together a robust and deliverable project, but the timescales are now absolutely critical".
Everton are keen to leave their cramped home at Goodison Park, which holds 40,170 but is difficult to expand due to its location.
A recent bid to move to Liverpool's Kings Dock has failed to materialise, but any plans to ground share are sure to face opposition from supporters.
Liverpool's Anfield stadium holds 45,362 compared to the 68,210 champions Manchester United can seat at Old Trafford and the 52,193 capacity at Newcastle United's St James' Park.