Toulouse rumoured to be next addition to CFG club stable
June 26 – French Ligue 1 club Toulouse is reportedly in discussion with Manchester City owners City Football Group (CFG) with a view to joining the club group.
Finance
AC Milan bail out? US Ricketts family step up to the plate with buyout interest
June 25 – The saga of the ownership and funding of debt-ridden Serie A club AC Milan has taken another turn with a potential new owner emerging in the shape of the Ricketts family from the US who own the Chicago Cubs Major League Baseball team.
Foxes are new profit champions as Premier League smashes earnings record
By David Owen
June 22 – This week’s belated publication of Crystal Palace’s accounts means that Insideworldfootball’s 2016-17 Premier League of Profits listing can at last be unveiled.
Crystal Palace’s late, late show brings 2016-17 results season to a close
By David Owen
June 21 – Crystal Palace have finally rounded off the 2016-17 Premier League financial reporting season, posting a pre-tax profit of £11.8 million for a period that ended almost exactly a year ago.
Cash-strapped Aston Villa owner Tony Xia clears way for share sale
June 21 – Aston Villa owner Tony Xia looks certain to either sell the club or a substantial stake in order to raise the £40 million needed to stay within financial fair play rules.
Money maketh woman: Chelsea, Bayern, PSG, Arsenal and Man City set to dominate
June 19 – The growth of the women’s club game has sparked a new area of stats and strategic data focus. One of the findings of a new report is that a financial divide between clubs is already starting to take place, a trend mirroring the men’s game.
PSG clear FFP probe but need to raise €60m from player sales to meet 2018 audit
By Paul Nicholson
June 14 – Big spending Paris St. Germain have passed UEFA’s financial fair play (FFP) investigation for 2015, 2016 and 2017 but the club remains under the microscope for 2018 and could be forced to raise to €60 million through player sales to meet the regulations to avoid further scrutiny.
Man Utd add Bayern to pre-season that includes AC Milan, Liverpool and Real Madrid
June 12 – Manchester United are turning pre-season team-building into a money making art form, confirming they will play Bayern Munich as the sixth and final match of the team’s pre-season preparations for the 2018-19 campaign. Man Utd will also face AC Milan, Liverpool and Real Madrid in the US in July.
Based on player transfer values France will play England in 2018 World Cup final
June 11 – The CIES Football Observatory has ranked teams participating in the Russia 2018 World Cup by their transfer values. Top of the table are France with a total squad value of €1.41 billion.
European club game hits €25.5bn value with Premier League driving the growth
June 7 – The European football market in 2016/17 was worth a record €25.5 billion with the Big 5 leagues accounting for €14.7 billion.
Spurs and England’s Kane is world’s most valuable player, Neymar is second
June 7 – Neymar may hold the record as the most expensive transfer in football history, but he isn’t the most valuable player in the world. Tottenham’s Harry Kane holds that position, valued €3.7 million higher than the Brazilian money machine, according to a new ranking of the Top 100 players in Europe’s Big 5 leagues.
UEFA earmarks record €2.04 billion for clubs in European competition next season
June 6 – UEFA will give a record €2.04 billion to clubs playing in the Champions League and Europa League next season, a more than €800 million increase on last season.
Xia rethinks funding after Aston Villa’s play-off loss misses out on £160m payday
June 5 – Tony Xia (pictured), Aston Villa’s Chinese owner who bought the club from American Randy Lerner for £62 million in 2016, is looking for new funding for the club after failure to win the Championship play-off against Fulham that would have returned the club to the monied land of the Premier League.
Li scrambles to add new investor at AC Milan as UEFA financial police close in
June 5 – The financial crisis that has hit Yonghong Li’s ownership of AC Milan has seen the Chinese owner reportedly in secret emergency meetings in Italy attempting to refinance the club’s debt and potentially bring in new ownership partners.
Abramovich puts Stamford Bridge rebuild on ice as his Chelsea future in doubt
June 1 – Roman Abramovich, Chelsea’s Russian billionaire owner, has decided to put on hold a new 60,000-seater stadium following delays over the renewal of his UK visa.