Manchester United get enormous £5.1bn update ahead of transfer window and FFP concerns

Manchester United have retained their place as the second most valuable football club in the world with the club only second behind Spanish giants Real Madrid.

That is according to Forbes’ 2024 list, which has the club increasing their value by nine percent on last year’s edition. The list estimates United to be worth around $6.55 billion which equates to around £5.1 billion.

In comparison, the club are around just behind Real Madrid who are worth an estimated $6.6 billion. The Spanish club also had an increase of around 9 percent.

United are the first Premier League team on the list with the closest other English team being Liverpool who appear at number four. The Anfield side are estimated to be worth around $5.37 billion (£4.22 billion), they did however only have two percent increase on last year’s list.

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United’s operating income is said to be at $187 million (£147m). With Liverpool working at around $102 million (£80.2m). The figure will be good reading for United at a time where there is more scrutiny on club’s finances around the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability rules.

Both Everton and Nottingham Forest were given points deductions last season after being found guilty of breaching the rules. The regulations state that clubs must not lose more than £105 million over a three-year rolling period.

Therefore, the more money that clubs can bring in, the more they can spend on both transfers and player contracts. Other clubs such as Chelsea, Newcastle, and Aston Villa may therefore have to watch their spending in the current transfer window.

United set a strict transfer budget of around £120m last summer amid fears they could fall foul of the rules, although the kitty was added to with player departures.

Other Premier League clubs to appear of the top ten of Forbes’ list are: Manchester City ($5.1bn), Tottenham Hotspur ($3.2bn), Chelsea ($3.1bn), and Arsenal ($2.6bn).