Manchester United might not be matching their glory years in terms of top trophies.
In fact, in the last three years they haven’t even come close.
Currently lying sixth in the table, without a Premier League title for almost four years,
Champions League football is no longer a guarantee after missing out on a top-four finish in two of the last three seasons.
After the golden years under Sir Alex Ferguson, United have gone into a worrying decline on the pitch.
But off the field it’s the absolute reverse.
The cash tills are working overtime with United a super-charged money-making machine unrivalled in global sport.
And the American Glazer family – who own the club – now value United at a staggering £4billion.
That’s just the starting point for potential buyers too, with business analysts believing it will take that kind of jaw-dropping money to persuade United’s Florida-based owners to think about selling their prized asset.
Sports business analysts in both the UK and Asia believe there is growing interest in testing just how much the Glazer family want to keep hold of United.
And many believe it won’t be long before Chinese investors hit the Glazers with a monster offer.
The respected Forbes rich list of sports teams say the Dallas Cowboys NFL team are the most valuable in world sport at around £3.2bn.
But many believe United’s iconic history and global appeal would make them the world’s richest club if they were sold by the Glazers.
The men from Rochester, New York haven’t been popular since they took the club into private ownership following their £776m acquisition of the club in 2005.
And the fact they could potentially pocket a £3.25bn profit in just over 10 years by cashing in and flogging United is a projection that will have the anti-Glazer brigade raging.
But while a sizeable majority detest United’s distant owners, the Glazers have turned the club into the world’s richest football team – a fact that flies in the face of every business principle.
According to The Mirror, Deloitte Sports Business Group recently placed United at the top of the Football Money League for the first time in 13 years.
And senior manager Tim Bridge insists they are making so much money, it’s no surprise the Glazers can name their own price.
He said: “United are projected to earn £530m in the current financial year and normally when clubs are being bought and sold in the Premier League, deals usually happen generally around one or two times the value of incoming revenue.
“That would value United at just over £1bn but remember, when the Glazers bought United 11 years ago for £776m they paid 4.7 times the revenue at the time.”
If those principles were applied now, United would be valued between £2.5bn and £3bn.
But given they are an iconic global institution, the world’s money men believe there’s a strong case for believing United could well be worth £4bn – or more.
“This is an industry with variables and it’s very hard to accurately make valuations,” says Bridge.
''In United’s case their commercial deals set them apart from anyone else – even Barcelona and Real Madrid currently.”
United’s commercial success defies logic. For even in years of decline they are making way more money than rivals who are more successful on the pitch.
The club have 70 partner sponsors – a roster even Real and Barca can’t compete with.
United’s commercial, broadcast and matchday revenue was a record-breaking £515.3m in the last financial year while the club toiled on the pitch, finishing fifth under Louis van Gaal.
That was up a staggering £120m on the
2014-15 season when they finished fourth and secured Champions League football.
Bridge added: “United have been able to secure commercial deals other clubs cannot have thought possible.
“Their £750m, 10-year kit deal with adidas and the £330m shirt sponsorship with Chevrolet have set a benchmark for others to aspire to.
Their continued commercial success has surprised many in the football world and clubs will have to respond.
So far, the world’s biggest clubs have struggled over the last few years to compete with United commercially.
“And if United could match their on-field performance with their off-pitch performance levels there is every chance they’d remain at the top of our Money League for the foreseeable future.
“Their ability to increase revenue despite a significant fall in their on-pitch performance is simply phenomenal.
“It’s almost as if it doesn’t matter that they aren’t performing as well as they have done historically on the pitch.
They still generate huge revenue. “Fans flock to Old Trafford, they travel in their thousands and the club’s ability to strike global commercial deals has led to them topping the Money League.”
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