If a takeover of Manchester United is completed it will undoubtedly set some records.
At the moment, Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe have both tabled offers which would break the world record for the highest fee paid for a sports team. Currently, this record is held by NFL franchise the Denver Broncos.
Rob Walton purchased the Broncos in 2022 for a whopping $4.5bn (£3.5bn). This month, Sheikh Jassim proposed a $5bn (£3.9bn) offer to buy the Reds with a promise of a further $1bn (£790m) investment into the club.
Should this be accepted, the Qatari banker would take over 100 per cent of the Reds. Ratcliffe has also tabled a bid believed to be in the $5bn region but this is only to buy around 60 per cent of the club.
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MEN Sport has taken a look at where United would rank in the list of most valuable sports teams if the deal is agreed, according to Forbes. Currently, the Reds sit 19th in the rankings but would move to 15th alongside Barcelona if the purchase is completed.
The Reds would still be marginally behind Real Madrid who are ranked in joint-13th at $5.1bn (£4bn). While neither Sheikh Jassim's nor Ratcliffe's bids would break the top 10, there is a definite shift towards clubs from Europe catching up with those lucrative American teams.
Most valuable sports clubs, according to Forbes
1) Dallas Cowboys (NFL) - $8bn
2) New England Patriots (NFL) - $6.4bn
3) Los Angeles Rams (NFL) - $6.2bn
4) New York Yankees (MLB) - $6bn
4) New York Giants (NFL) - $6bn
6) New York Knicks (NBA) - $5.8bn
6) Chicago Bears (NFL) - $5.8bn
8) Golden State Warriors (NBA) - $5.6bn
8) Washington Commanders (NFL) - $5.6bn
10) Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) - $5.5bn
11) New York Jets (NFL) - $5.4bn
12) San Francisco 49ers (NFL) - $5.2bn
13) Real Madrid (La Liga) - $5.1bn
13) Las Vegas Raiders (NFL) - $5.1bn
15) Barcelona (La Liga) - $5bn
16) Philadelphia Eagles (NFL) - $4.9bn
17) Houston Texans (NFL) - $4.7bn
18) Denver Broncos (NFL) - $4.65bn
19) Manchester United (Premier League) - $4.6bn
19) Miami Dolphins (NFL) - $4.6bn
A Manchester Evening News special souvenir edition - Fergie's First - charts United's 1992/93 title-winning campaign and you can get your hands on one here
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