Abu Dhabi-owned Manchester City has been ranked the fifth richest football club in the world.
The 21st edition of the Deloitte Football Money League said the English Premier League club, which currently tops the league, reported revenues of more than $646 million.
Deloitte said Manchester City retained fifth spot for the second year in a row as broadcast revenue soared to more than £200 million ($279 million), now the club’s largest revenue stream.
This season, City’s on pitch performances have been highly impressive and the quadruple remains a possibility. A strong showing for the remainder of the season, in particular in the Champions League, could propel the club further up the Money League next year, the report added.
Deloitte also said a suite of new commercial partners helped to boost commercial revenue by almost £20 million.
“With reportedly significant commercial deals agreed with Gatorade and Amazon for 2017/18, it is clear that commercial revenue generation remains one of City’s priorities, but the impact of a strong season on-pitch, may well be the factor that could propel them even further up the Money League,” it noted.
Neighbours Manchester United topped the league with a value of more than $827 million, just ahead of Spanish giants Real Madrid.
Deloitte said aggregate revenue for the top 20 Money League clubs rose 6 percent to £6.8 billion in 2016/17, a new record, with the top three clubs – which also includes FC Barcelona.
A place in the top 20 now requires revenue of approximately $244 million, a 16 percent increase on last year and double the amount required in the 2010 edition of the Money League.
The English Premier League has 10 teams in the top 20 this year, the highest ever from one country, with Southampton (18th) making their debut in the Money League top 20.
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