Manchester United have posted net losses of £113.2million in their latest accounts but insist they are compliant with Premier League financial rules.
The Red Devils’ latest losses for the year ending June 30 follows a £115.5m loss in 2021-22 and a £42.1m loss in 2022-23.
The Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) allow a maximum loss of £105million over a three-season period, but within that certain losses are deemed ‘allowable’ such as infrastructure, youth team and women’s team spending.
Rasmus Hojlund was one of Manchester United’s big money signings during the 2023-24 financial year (Martin Rickett/PA)
United sources concede the losses are in part due to transfer and wage spending over the period, but a club release alongside the results said: “The club remains committed to, and in compliance with, both the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules and UEFA’s Financial Fair Play Regulations.”
Everton and Nottingham Forest both incurred points deductions last season after being found in breach of PSR.
Included in United’s newly-reported losses were costs of £47.8m linked to the strategic review embarked upon by the club’s owners, the Glazer family, in November 2022 which ultimately resulted in Sir Jim Ratcliffe acquiring a 27.7 per cent stake in the club.
The club earned £661.8million in revenue, a United record.
The club are working to put themselves on a more sustainable financial footing and have instigated a number of cost-saving measures, including a redundancy programme which cut 250 jobs from headcount across all departments by the end of August. The club anticipate severance charges related to the redundancies will cost around £10m.
The cost-saving measures taken together are expected to save between £40-45m in total and the club anticipate that will have a positive impact on United’s financial results for 2025 and 2026.
The costs associated with the strategic review are viewed positively within the club as a necessary step to bring about structural change and to attract investment. Ratcliffe is committed to investing 300m US dollars (£229m) in club infrastructure by the end of the year, with 200m USD of that already paid.
Chief executive Omar Berrada said: “We are working towards greater financial sustainability and making changes to our operations to make them more efficient, to ensure we are directing our resources to enhancing on-pitch performance.
Omar Berrada heads up a new-look leadership team at United (Martin Rickett/PA)
“Today we announce new guidance for fiscal 2025 which reflects a partial year impact of the transformative cost-savings and organisational changes that we have been busy implementing over the summer.
“Ultimately, the strength of Manchester United is driven by the passion and loyalty of our supporters. Our clear objective is to return the club to the top of European football.
“Everyone at the club is aligned on a clear strategy to deliver sustained success both on and off the pitch, for the ultimate benefit of our fans, shareholders, and hugely diverse range of stakeholders.”
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