MOSCOW, January 24 (R-Sport) - Lada Tolyatti is set to return to the KHL next season after solving problems with its home arena, a source at the club told R-Sport on Thursday.

Lada was excluded from the league in 2010 because it had financial problems and an arena that was too small to meet KHL rules, and is now in the junior MHL.

Lada's plans to return are backed by KHL president Alexander Medvedev, and the source said the team's participation could be confirmed as soon as next month.

“The new sports palace is not the issue - its completion is guaranteed,” the source told R-Sport, but conceded that the team's existing funding from carmaker AvtoVAZ was not enough to cover a KHL campaign.

“The money allocated by AvtoVAZ is not enough. We need one more investor. I think this problem should be solved at the beginning of next month," the source said.

The KHL also plans to add teams in Italy and Croatia next season as part of Medvedev's plans for the league to span the whole of Europe and rival the NHL.

Lada won two Russian titles in the 1990s.