Manchester United top Forbes list of richest football clubs, but Real Madrid are closing

Manchester United stay top of the Forbes rich list for the eighth year running, but second-placed Real Madrid have gained ground again.

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United are also comfortably ranked as the most valuable team in any sport. Their worth of £1.4bn is £240m more than baseball's New York Yankees and the NFL's Dallas Cowboys.

Arsenal have fallen to fourth on the list, worth £800m, behind Real Madrid £1.17bn and Barcelona £1.07bn but marginally ahead of Bayern Munich who are worth £766m.

The Forbes list puts Chelsea in seventh place, worth £474m, and Liverpool eighth with a value of £386m.

United's huge global fan base, estimated by Forbes to number 330million, has helped maintain the club's position at the top. But Real Madrid and Barcelona have higher revenues than United, due in part to the fact they have negotiated their own individual television deals for Spanish football.

The figures are also based on last year's financial results, and reflect United reaching the Champions League final. Yet this year, United were dumped out of the competition in the group stages, and their income from European football is likely to suffer a corresponding drop.

Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona on the other hand, have reached the semi-final stage of the Champions League this year, meaning their revenue will stay at a similar level.

Tottenham are 11th on the list, valued at £351m, and Manchester City have climbed from 15th to 13th, worth £276m.

PA