Exclusive: Man United ready to spend amid PSR update – ‘It might surprise a few’
Man United’s summer spending could well be substantial amid a surprising update on their financial picture.
That is according to football finance expert Dan Plumley, who exclusively told Football Insider that “a lot of people are looking at the wrong company” when analysing the club’s compliance with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR).
As if a 15th-placed finish in England’s top-flight wasn’t bad enough, United’s 1-0 Europa League final loss to Tottenham also saw them miss out on qualifying for the Champions League and with it, an estimated £100million in revenue [BBC Sport].
Earlier in the year, the club admitted they were at risk of a PSR breach [The Athletic], and United have laid off over 400 members of staff across the duration of the season.
The financial strife the club were facing pointed towards a summer window in which the club would need to sell to buy.
But the 20-time champions of England subverted expectations by signing Matheus Cunha from Wolves for £62.5m [The Guardian], and United were also leading the race for Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo.
Man United PSR situation not ‘as bad’ as expected
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, finance expert Plumley detailed why United had been able to do deals this summer, despite expectations there would be financial constraints on the club.
The senior lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University pointed towards the two different companies that the Red Devils use to file their accounts, with Red Football Limited’s losses being different from Manchester United plc.
Club sources told The Athletic, Red Football Ltd is the company whose accounts are submitted to the Premier League and UEFA for “testing against spending regulations”.
The report also stated, “historically, there has been little significant difference between Red Football Ltd’s accounts with those of the Cayman-registered plc.
“Last season, however, that changed, with some large disparities between some key figures in the two sets of accounts.”
United’s pre-tax loss for its plc was £130.7m for the 2023/24 season, but Red Football Ltd’s was just £36.2m, a difference of £94.5m between the two companies.
Plumley explained: “It might surprise a few people to say that, actually, Man United perhaps don’t have as many compliance issues as we think they have with PSR. A lot of people are looking at the wrong company here.
“The one that files the PSR position is a company called Red Football Limited, where the losses are very different from those of Manchester United PLC.
“So there’s a bit wrapped up in this that, for all of United’s claims and media stories around PSR, it might actually not be as bad as people think.
“We’ve seen them be active in the market already and looked to do deals, which has surprised a few.”
Man United look to sign ‘top target’ Viktor Gyokeres
Pete O’Rourke exclusively revealed to Football Insider United are working overtime to sign ‘top target’ Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting CP.
The Swedish striker has garnered interest from teams around the globe after scoring an astonishing 97 goals in 102 games for the champions of Portugal.
Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee managed a meagre seven Premier League goals between them last term, as Amad finishing as the club’s top-scorer with eight goals.
Gyokeres would represent a sizeable upgrade at the number nine position and has previously worked under Ruben Amorim.