Business tycoons have started investing in sports much more now, in the form of takeovers. And as a result, a number of fans have ended up buying their favourite clubs owing to their financial power. In this article, we take a look at the top ten most expensive club sales in history.
Top 10 most expensive club sales in football
10. Paris Saint Germain
QSI’s takeover of PSG put them on the map after years of being average. They became sole shareholders in 2012, acquiring the club for £100 million.
9. Chelsea
Roman Abramovich is about to sell Chelsea and make its takeover the most expensive in football. He originally purchased the club for £140 million, but will not receive a dime from the proceeds of the sale.
8. Manchester City
The City Group took over the Sky Blues in 2008, and has since turned them into one of the best clubs in England. Sheikh Mansoor acquired the club for £160 million, and now owns several ‘City’ clubs across the world.
7. Inter Milan
Zhang Jidong acquired majority stakes in Inter Milan in 2016, for £225 million. Last year, they were able to end Juventus’ dominance over the Scudetto by winning the title themselves.
6. Liverpool
FSG paid £300 million to take over the club from George Gillet and Tom Hicks for £300 million in 2010. The deal was completed in partnership with NESV I, LLC and UKSV Holdings Company Limited. Since then, they have had a dip, and a massive rise recently, under Jurgen Klopp.
5. Newcastle United
The highly controversial Saudi Arabia takeover of Newcastle United was completed last season for £300 million. The PIF is now the most expensive body that owns a football club in the entire world.
4. Valencia
Peter Lim paid £345 million for Valencia in 2014 after ten months of negotiations. He took over the club after acquiring a 70% stake.
3. AC Milan
The Rossoneri were sold to Li Yonghong in 2016 for £600 million, and has since been acquired by Elliott Management. The Americans defaulted on Yonghong’s £345 million residue, and have plans to rebuild the club to match their former glory.
2. Arsenal
Stan Kroenke owns the stakes at Arsenal after Alisher Usmanov accepted £600 million for an initial 90% stake in the club. Usmanov has since sold his remaining stakes, leaving Kroenke as the sole proprietor of the club.
1. Manchester United
Joel Glazer took over the biggest club in England for a sum worth £800 million. Despite being one of the most financially profitable clubs in the world, they haven’t had a lot of success on the pitch in recent years.
