Manchester United's price tag may set 'landmark' for football

It's been roughly a decade since Manchester United FC were the kings of English football, much to the consternation of its fans and schadenfreude of rivals. Yet the lack of recent success may be of little matter to a buyer.

The American Glazer family that owns what's arguably still England's biggest club is looking for an investor and might be prepared to sell up. They are in the market for a deal that values Manchester United at about £5 billion ($6 billion), Bloomberg News reported in August.

While the owners of fellow English Premier League giant Liverpool FC are also weighing a sale, and rival Chelsea FC only just sold in a £4.25 billion deal, neither brand can compare with Manchester United, according to people involved in football investment.


The club from the northwest of England forged its reputation over decades of triumphs in domestic and European competitions -- including glory years under legendary coaches Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson -- ensuring its status as a premier brand for buyers.

"This deal has to be at a landmark valuation," said Adam Sommerfeld, sports investment specialist at London-based Certus Capital Partners. "Clearly this is the leading light of football, probably sport overall in terms of M&A at the moment. Everyone who is anyone is going to be looking at this very seriously." ]