UNION leaders at Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port plant have now seen documents from possible new owner Fiat suggesting it would close by 2016.

The plan – dubbed Operation Football – would cost 2,000 jobs on Merseyside, but the Italian car giant says it has already changed it.

The news came as it emerged a new owner at General Motors Europe, including Vauxhall, could be in place before the end of this month.

British unions are liaising with their European counterparts to fight front-runner Fiat, amid fears the plant’s popular Astra could lose out to similar Fiat models.

Fiat chief executive Sergio Marchionne is confident he can clinch the deal, saying this month: "This will be done in May."

But unions oppose Fiat’s plans, claiming they could cost up to 20,000 jobs in closures, including 5,000 at Ellesmere Port and Luton.

German trade unions are believed to have copies of Project Football, the proposal for a merged Fiat/GM Europe/Chrysler group that outlines plans to shut the UK plants.

Fiat says they have now been shelved in preference for "Project Phoenix."

John Fetherstone,CORRECT Ellesmere Port union convenor, has seen the Project Football proposals and believes the future of Vauxhall in the UK is still in serious jeopardy.

While he does not believe Fiat has a final plan, the original version "doesn’t include Ellesmere Port."

He has just returned from talks with German union leaders, and said: "We have seen paperwork for Project Football – German trade unions have got the plans – and it is definitely in the background.

"There are no benefits from Fiat ownership. We would have duplication of models in the small car market, so I don’t think it is a benefit to us."