Manchester United named most valuable club in Europe

Manchester United has been named as Europe's most valuable club in a new report which highlights the growing financial muscle of the Premier League.

The analysis by KPMG found there were six sides from England's top flight in the top 10, up by one as Tottenham joined United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.

It suggested the Premier League's dominance will increase further next year as the current report, analysing latest publicly available financial statements, has yet to include the impact of a bumper new TV broadcasting deal that started in 2016/17.

Manchester United topped the table despite the club's failure to have qualified for the 2016/17 Champions League as it continued "to achieve consistent off-the-pitch performance".

The side will be in the competition for 2017/18 by virtue of having won the second-string Europa League competition.

United's estimated "enterprise value" rose by 7% to £2.71bn, taking it ahead of Real Madrid after the two teams shared first place last year.

The accounting measure assesses how much it would cost to buy a club or company, including its total debt.

Manchester United make more money than any other club and also has a debt pile of nearly half a billion pounds.

Second in the table was Real Madrid, followed by Barcelona and Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Juventus and Tottenham.

Last season's Premier League winners Leicester City joined the list in 16th position with a value estimated at £402m, one place above Everton.

Andrea Sartori, KPMG's global head of sports, said: "The aggregate value of Europe's leading football clubs suggests that the overall value of football, as an industry, has grown.

"While this is partially explained by football's broadcasting boom, the internationalisation of the clubs' commercial operations, their investment into privately owned and modern facilities, and overall more sustainable management practices are also key reasons for this growth.

"In terms of media rights value, the English Premier League sits comfortably at the top of European leagues, although other major leagues have outlined well-defined strategies to compete for the attention of global fans."

Separate figures from Deloitte last month showed England's Premier League clubs posted a combined loss of £110m for 2015/16, though they were expected to return to the black when a new TV deal kicks in.

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