sport news Revealed: Manchester United tops the world's most valuable football clubs ... trends now
Manchester United are the most valuable football club in world football according to a new study.
This season has brought the Premier League side's worth under scrutiny after its Glazer ownership group initially put the club up for sale in the winter of 2022.
February saw Ineos billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe instead complete a partial takeover with the purchase of a 25 per cent stake in the side that allows him control of footballing operations to the tune of £1.3billion.
But the total worth according to statisticians Sportico is said to be nearly £5bn, with their study on the world's top 50 most valuable clubs estimating their value at £4.96bn ($6.2bn).
United are one of six Premier League sides to make up the top 20, with European sides Real Madrid - £4.85bn ($6.06bn) - and Barcelona, worth £4.23bn ($5.28bn) rounding out the top three.
Man United are believed to be the most valuable club in world football according to new study
Sir Jim Ratcliffe (right) purchased a stake in the club for £1.3bn in February (pictured with co-owner Avram Glazer)
Real Madrid (left) and Barcelona (right) round out the top three most valuable football teams
Of Man United's English rivals, the next closest club is Liverpool, which the statisticians have valued at £4.09bn ($5.11bn), with crosstown rivals Manchester City ranking sixth at £3.80bn ($4.75bn).
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But despite the global dominance of the Premier League across international football, supporters may be surprised by the total number of clubs included in the top 50.
Just nine English sides in total made the cut - although their worth as a group accounts for a mammoth £23.21bn (29bn), by far the largest amount of the 10 leagues represented in the top 50.
Outside of the top 20, these include West Ham, ranked 27th with an estimated value of £580m ($725m), Newcastle in 32nd worth £560m ($700m), and Aston Villa, valued at £480m ($600m).
By contrast, 20 MLS sides are represented in the top 50, with five in the top 20 itself, but their total worth is a relatively paltry £12.08bn ($15.1bn).
Both Bayern Munich (£3.84bn - or $4.8bn) and Paris Saint-Germain, worth £3.24bn ($4.05bn) are worth more than the remaining three English clubs in the top ten.
Last season's Treble winners made the top ten as the third-most valuable English team
Chelsea took 10th place behind Premier League rivals Liverpool, Arsenal, and
