Indeed, it’s even possible to invest in one of the world’s most famous football clubs — Manchester United (NYSE:MANU).

Though given the firm is listed across the pond, perhaps I should instead call it a ‘soccer’ club? Only kidding, it’s football to me and always will be.

So, should I buy Manchester United shares for my ISA? Let’s get the ball rolling.

Disappointing share price form

The reason I’m considering the stock is because the club has just sacked its manager, Ruben Amorim. This hardly came as a surprise to me, as the team has been struggling for form and is nowhere near challenging for the Premier League title.

There have now been about eight or nine different coaches/managers at Manchester United since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. None has really set the world on fire.

This lack of sustained success partly explains why the share price has gone nowhere. At $16 per share, it’s down 5% in five years and basically flat over a decade.

So, long-term owners of this stock haven’t done well at all.

A loss-making firm

There has been no real bounce in the share price since Amorin was sacked. And that’s probably because the club will have to fork out to pay him off, as it did in its last 2024/25 fiscal year (FY25) when it sacked previous manager Erik ten Hag.

In FY25, covering the 12 months months to the end of June 2025, the company reported record revenue of £666m. That’s a fitting number for a team called the ‘Red Devils’!

However, that was up less than 1% from the £662m it generated the year before. And the firm still reported a £33m loss, though that was significantly lower than the £113m loss from the 2023/24 fiscal year. The club has been cutting costs.

Our commercial business remains strong as we continue to deliver appealing products and experiences for our fans…As we start to feel the benefits of our cost-reduction programme, there is significant potential for improved financial performance, which will, in turn, support
our overriding priority: success on the pitch.
CEO Omar Berrada, September 2025

Should I invest in Manchester United?

Not regularly competing in the elite Champions League competition has been hurting the company financially. And with no manager and lots of rival teams playing well, there’s no guarantee it will qualify for it this season (though it’s still possible).

Still, as a large Premier League club, Manchester United will always make decent revenue from broadcasting and commercial and matchday sales. However, I’m not keen on the consistent losses.

Also, the fact that the firm has to keep ploughing cash into the team rather than return it to investors via dividends or share buybacks doesn’t really make me want to invest.

Looking around today, I see a lot better stocks to buy for my portfolio. So, I’ll stick to watching the team on TV rather than investing my money in the company.

The post Should I add Manchester United to my Stocks and Shares ISA? appeared first on The Motley Fool UK.

But should I add some Manchester United shares to my portfolio? Let’s get the ball rolling and find out.

Out of form

As the chart above shows, the share price has hardly been in scintillating form in recent times. It’s down by around 16% over five years and a similar amount over 12 months.

This means that someone who invested £10,000 into the shares one year ago would now have around £8,400 (ignoring currency moves, as the shares are denominated in dollars). Not great, especially as the company doesn’t pay a dividend these days.

Of course, this lacklustre performance isn’t surprising when we consider how poorly the team has been doing on the pitch. The just-finished 2024/25 season was one of the worst in the club’s modern history. Manchester United ended 15th in the league with just 42 points, marking its lowest finish in the Premier League era.

According to analysis by The Times, Manchester United is the worst-value-for-money side in Premier League history after that poor finish. Yikes.

Rubbing salt in the wounds, the team lost the Europa League final in May to Tottenham Hotspur. Failure to win cost it a place in the more lucrative UEFA Champions League next season, resulting in lost revenue of about £100m. 

Unprofitable enterprise

Speaking of losses, these are common for the company. In its 2023/24 fiscal year, which ended in June 2024, the club reported a net loss of £113m on revenue of £662m. More losses are expected this year after the dismal season.

But it wasn’t meant to be like this. Sir Jim Ratcliffe, through his INEOS Group, completed the acquisition of a 27.7% stake in the club in February 2024. Under his leadership, the club has implemented significant cost-cutting measures, including deep job cuts in a bid to address the financial challenges.

However, these measures have also been unpopular with many fans. In particular, the cancellation of free lunches for non-playing staff led to accusations that the soul was being ripped out of the club.

Earlier this week, the team was booed by fans in a friendly match in Malaysia. My cousin, a lifelong United fan, can’t even bring himself to watch the games anymore.

Should I buy?

In short then, the whole thing’s a bit of a mess. But could this actually be the perfect time to invest? After all, buying shares when they’re out of favour can be very lucrative, assuming things pick up and investor sentiment improves.

Part of me thinks the club will surely do better next season. Won’t it? Then again, I feel like this would be more like gambling with my money than investing. Improvement isn’t guranteed.

One big concern I have here is the balance sheet. In February, net debt stood at a whopping £636m. For context, the market-cap’s only £1.8bn.

When I pair this debt with the ongoing losses and lack of European football, I’m not very bullish on Manchester Untied shares. I think there are far better opportunities for my Stocks and Shares ISA today.

The post £10,000 invested in Manchester United shares in an ISA 1 year ago is now worth…  appeared first on The Motley Fool UK.

Even with this slump, it’s shares are still up 37% over the past year. Here’s why I’m not convinced the stock is a smart buy.

Chatter about a deal

The share price jumped significantly late last year as the process to sell the club got underway. The bidding process has taken a long time and, ultimately, still isn’t finished.

The fact the stock is still up over a 52-week period shows the optimism investors have that a deal can still be struck.

To some extent, I understand this optimism. If a deal is done, the enterprise as a whole should see the value increase significantly. This would be due to heavy investment in infrastructure (the stadium) as well as marketing channels (game day merchandise). As a result, this would help to boost revenue and overall brand image.

The share price would likely rally as it would mark the end of a management era from the current owners. There has been widespread criticism over the business strategy, so this cutting of ties would be seen as a positive fresh start.

Poor financials

One reason why I think Manchester United shares are still overvalued is due to the financials. Apart from 2019, the business has lost money for each of the past five years. It looks like it’ll lose money again in this financial year.

I can accept why investors buy the stock of a high-growth company that’s losing money. The aim is that it’ll reach a level whereby it can break-even and then generate a profit as it matures.

But Manchester United isn’t a growth stock. It’s a mature business that has the same working model as it always has. So I don’t see why any positive sentiment should be attached, based on the financial state of the business.

Parties far apart

When I look at the takeover options, I’m also left scratching my head. With the Qatari’s out, there are other potential buyers interested. The main one is British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe.

However, it’s rumoured that the existing majority shareholders want a deal of $7.3bn. This is more than double the current market-cap of the company ($3.26bn). So the parties seem very far apart for any chance of an imminent deal to be struck.

I understand that if something can be worked out, Manchester United shares could rocket higher in a matter of days. I believe that’s why the share price hasn’t fallen further in recent days. Yet I’m not in the business of buying a stock on the hope that a takeover deal goes through. It’s too risky.

Better options elsewhere

If a deal does happen, some investors will net a healthy profit. Yet I think the chances are slim, which is why I think the stock is overvalued at current levels.

Given the uncertainty, I think that investors can find better opportunities for long-term growth elsewhere.

The post Why Manchester United shares are still in cloud cuckoo land appeared first on The Motley Fool UK.

So, I’m starting with the maths.

If 25% is worth £1.3bn, it suggests the Glazers value the club at £5.2bn. With 163m shares in issue, that means each share is worth £31.9. That’s $38.9.

However, on Monday (16 October) the NYSE-listed stock — around a quarter of the total shares — opened 9% down at $17.50.

So, how do we explain this discrepancy and is this a buying opportunity?

What does the deal mean?

In the proposed agreement, Ratcliffe and his company INEOS are anticipated to oversee the football operations of Manchester United, potentially marking the initial phase of a gradual takeover.

Ratcliffe, who already owns french outfit OGC Nice, is expected to make more money available to the club for transfers and the much-needed overhaul of Old Trafford.

It’s been reported that INEOS wants to transform the stadium into a 90,000-seat arena, presumably with better match day facilities and corporate hospitality — a great source of revenue in more modern stadiums.

Of course, Ratcliffe doesn’t have the deep pockets of Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al Thani who withdrew from the bidding process. I think it could mean we’ll see more of a ‘moneyball’ system. This is a popular system employed by owners, including those running Brentford, Brighton and Liverpool. It essentially involves finding undervalued players on performance metrics that might be overlooked and buying them.

Staged takeover

Could Ratcliffe’s purchase be the start of a staged buyout? Well, it’s important to note that the initial Ratcliffe offer never included taking the listed shares — those not owned by the Glazers — private.

As such, earlier in the year, the club’s shares pushed higher when it appeared that Sheikh Jassim, who intended to buy the listed shares in addition to the Glazer shares, was close to taking over Manchester United. That’s because he’d have bought the shares, including the listed ones, at a premium to the market valuation.

However, it’s certainly the case that Ratcliffe could use his new position to buy out more of the Glazer family’s holding. Although some people may question if he’s got the money to do that, after all, he’s backed down from taking all of the Glazer 67%.

It also seems unlikely that the INEOS owner will go after the NYSE-listed shares at all. It’s been reported that he wanted the Class B shares, owned by the Glazers, which have significantly more power than the Class A shares that can be bought on the stock exchange.

As such, despite Manchester United shares falling, I don’t see this as a buying opportunity. If Ratcliffe isn’t going to buy them, they’re just expensive shares in a loss-making organisation. Of course, Premier League clubs could become consistently profitable one day — TV rights really could drive this — I’m just not sure that’ll be any time soon.

One final consideration is that Ratcliffe’s £1.3bn could include clearing some debt. I haven’t heard anything to that end, but it would make a difference to the above calculations.

The post Is now the time to buy Manchester United shares? appeared first on The Motley Fool UK.

The talk – from earlier this year at an event called Summit at Sea and available on YouTube – touched on topics ranging from AI, to the rise of the mega rich and space tourism.

Galloway is an American academic and entrepreneur specialising in brand management and digital marketing.

With an estimated net worth of $40m, he’s best known for his analysis of the Big Four tech companies and his various podcasts on business and technology.

So, what did he say that turned my attention to Manchester United shares?

Football clubs as global brands

Galloway argues that football clubs are rapidly becoming global brands. He says it’s a trend powered by billionaire investors and nations wanting to boost their image.

“You’re going to see a massive increase in the value of sports teams over the next 10 years,” he said. That will happen “as long as we’re producing more and more billionaires who happen to be in the midst of a mid-life crisis,“ the professor also quipped.

One of his key points was the enduring power of live sports as a medium for advertising. In today’s world of streaming and ad blockers, the commercial break is on the brink of death. Enter live sports, one of the few contexts where people still watch television ads. Clubs profit (indirectly) through the sale of TV rights.

Galloway also pointed out that individuals and entities from Gulf nations have begun investing in football teams as a brand-improvement strategy. These oil-exporting nations are replete with investment capital, and they’re looking to diversify out of fossil fuels.

To back up his case, Galloway presented data showing the average price tag of the top 50 sports teams globally had soared 55% from 2016 to 2021.

Source: Prof G Media

What about the Red Devils?

Few football clubs are as globally recognised as Manchester United. What’s more, regular punters like me can become mini-owners of the Red Devils by buying shares, which are listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Currently, the stock price sits at just under $20 (£16.50). Other major football clubs that trade on public exchanges are Celtic (on the London Stock Exchange), Borussia Dortmund (on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange) and Juventus (on the Italian Stock Exchange).

The Manchester United stock price has been volatile recently, largely due to a bidding war for control of the club. Initially, it was a tussle between Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and British businessman Sir Jim Ratcliffe. However, the Sheikh has now withdrawn from the process, reportedly frustrated by the Glazers’ valuation and demands.

Ratcliffe’s Ineos group is now poised to take over the football operations side of Manchester United, pending approval of a 25% offer worth an estimated £1.3bn. The British billionaire appears increasingly confident that this will be the first step in a complete buyout of the club.

Frankly, the situation remains uncertain, and I wouldn’t want to risk any of my hard-earned capital on its outcome.

Relegation risks

I think Galloway makes a convincing point that football teams are likely to become more valuable over time. But it’s important to remember that this might not be true for every single club.

A team could lose a lot of its value for specific reasons, like being moved to a lower league.

Ideally, I’d like to buy shares in a diversified group of top-flight clubs through an exchange-traded fund (ETF). For now, that’s not a possibility. So, I’ll be watching from the sidelines.

The post Could Manchester United shares benefit from this tech mogul’s prediction? appeared first on The Motley Fool UK.

The downward pressure on the shares was created by reports that the Glazer family had elected not to sell the club. If true, this would spell an end to the months of speculation that have driven the share price higher.

Media analysis

As is often the case, sports reporting and financial reporting rarely go hand in hand. And this was once again the case this week as I watched a rather botched attempted by the UK’s largest sports news show to analyse the situation.

The channel in question attempted to suggest that the peak share price, around $24, represented a huge discount versus the offers put forward by Sheikh Jassim of Qatar and British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

Their maths being that the reported £5bn offered by Jassim was far above the $3.8bn share price. However, that’s not quite the case, as United has around £1bn in debt. Adding that the market price, the peak share price and reported bid also match up.

A buying opportunity?

The share price has since fallen to $19 on the reports that Glazer family would not be selling the club. According to the Mail on Sunday, Joel and Avram Glazer are holding out for an offer of £10bn.

When we take into account the aforementioned debt, the club, if valued at £10bn, would be worth around $55 a share. In turn, that represents a considerable upside from the current share price.

As a side note, the family bought Manchester United in 2005 for $790m. Manchester United has spent more than £1bn on interest and loan payments, plus share dividends — the majority of which have gone to the Glazer family — over the 18-year period.

Is £10bn feasible?

Manchester United might be among the biggest clubs in world football — if not the biggest — but $10bn represents a huge premium to any other previous club sales. My good friend Nicolas Moura recently published a white paper on the topic of private equity in football that dives deeper into these valuations.

To date, the largest buyout has been £2.6bn for Chelsea FC last year, followed by AC Milan at £1bn, and then AC Milan again at £680m. Further down the list we can see that Newcastle was bought by the Saudi PIF in 2021 for just £320m.

Long story short, there’s little precedent for a football club being worth $10bn. This is especially the case for a club that plays in a league where relegation remains a (distant) possibility as this can make a huge difference to risk, revenue, profitability, and valuation.

Likewise, Manchester United, as time has shown, are not guaranteed a place in the lucrative Champions League year after year. In fact, competition for that top-four place in the Premier League is becoming increasingly strong.

Personally, I don’t believe £10bn is on the cards, but there could be some upside from the current levels.

Finally, as an interesting comparison, here’s how United’s value compares to one of the other few listed football clubs, Borussia Dortmund. It’s worth remembering that Germany’s ’50+1′ regulation means German sides cannot be majority-owned by independent parties.

The post Are Manchester United shares as undervalued as the media suggests? appeared first on The Motley Fool UK.

This is the stock’s steepest one-day percentage fall on record. The reason for this collapse is that the football club’s owners have reportedly decided to wait for a better offer before selling up.

So, does this provide me with a good opportunity to invest in a few Manchester United shares? Let’s find out.

What happened

To recap, the controlling shareholders of Manchester United, the Glazer family, started to explore the possibility of a sale in November. Immediately, two serious bidders emerged, namely Sheikh Jassim of Qatar and British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

However, neither came close to the owners’ asking price, which is said to be between £7bn and £10bn ($8.8bn-$12.5bn), according to the Mail on Sunday. For context, the company is currently valued at $3.1bn on the New York Stock Exchange.

Therefore, the share price could surge once again if prospective bidders upped their offers towards the targeted valuation. On the flip side, the stock could have further to fall given that it’s still trading around 45% above where it was before rumours of a sale emerged.

Newspaper reports say the Glazers believe they will get a better price in a couple of years time. They reportedly think that the 2026 World Cup in North America will spark renewed interest in the club.

A difficult few years

This latest development hasn’t gone down well with the majority of Manchester United’s fans. They’ve suffered for years now having watched Manchester City, the rival team from the same city, win five of the last six Premier League campaigns.

This dominance has continued this season, with City once again sitting top of the league after four games. United are mid-table and seem light years away from challenging for the title. This is despite Manchester United having a bigger net spend than their rivals since 2016.

Nevertheless, the club remains one of the most followed in the world. Last year, it generated over £550m in revenue and it expects a record £630m to £640m in fiscal 2023.

Will I buy the stock?

Since the Glazers bought Manchester United for £790m in 2005, the club has spent over £1.1bn on transfers. Yet many supporters still accuse the owners of not investing enough. This dynamic is the reason why I’m not interested in investing in football clubs.

Put simply, the majority of fans demand that all surplus cash be reinvested back into the playing squad every season. Manchester United isn’t regularly profitable, but even if it was, most supporters wouldn’t want excess cash just sitting on the balance sheet for a rainy day.

Also, many fans don’t like the idea of cash being regularly distributed in the form of dividends to shareholders. Manchester United stock stopped paying dividends last year. Like most investors, I value profits and payouts, and there are neither here today.

So I’m not interested in buying the stock. I see it as more suited to day traders than long-term investors.

The post Should I buy Man United shares after they just crashed 18%? appeared first on The Motley Fool UK.

Contributing to important causes is at the heart of investing, and it doesn’t get more emotional than investing in your favourite sports team. Fans, and owners of Manchester United (NYSE:MANU) shares, have had a roller-coaster year as club owners hinted at a sale in November 2022. But what’s next?

Context 

Manchester United is one of the largest sports franchises in the world. Owned by the Glazer family since 2005, the company is 90% private, with 10% listed on the NYSE (New York Stock Exchange.).

The ownership has grown increasingly unpopular with the team underperforming on the pitch, winning no trophies since 2017. At the same time, rival teams have invested heavily on and off the pitch. This has left Manchester United with a stadium in desperate need of upgrade, a team in development, and an uncertain future.

What’s happening?

In November, the club’s owners announced they were exploring ‘strategic alternatives’. Since then, two key parties have emerged. INEOS founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Britain’s richest man, is looking to purchase 60% of the club, allowing the current owners to remain in a reduced capacity. The other main party is Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani. The Chairman of Qatar Islamic Bank is looking to acquire 100% of the club and clear all outstanding debts. Minority investment is possible, alongside the current owners remaining in place. However, with club debts now climbing above £725m, it appears that something needs to happen eventually.

Manchester United shares have been highly volatile over this period. Rumours and news updates have suggested a variety of outcomes are imminent almost weekly. But with the football season now underway, no final decision has been made.

What about the fundamentals?

As I wrote back in February, the balance sheet of the company is not in a good place. The club has less than a year of cash available based on current free cash flow. It is also unprofitable, and has a growing debt burden. By considering the future cash flow, a fair value of $7.88 is calculated. As a result, the shares could be as much as 191% overvalued!

Despite this, with the rising global popularity of football, and upcoming World Cup Finals in the US, there is a suggestion that the ownership believe that growth is ahead for the sector. The recent sale of the Washington Commanders for $6.05bn will strengthen the case that, despite rocky fundamentals, the brand value and potential for global sporting institutions is still enormous.

Am I buying?

An investment in Manchester United shares then is effectively speculation that a takeover will be completed imminently. If a deal collapses, or if only minority investment is realised, the share price would likely fall back to levels seen before the takeover rumours began. However, if rumoured acquisition prices are to be believed, there may be some tremendous growth in the share price ahead.

I am holding onto my investment in Manchester United shares from earlier in the year. However, I am acutely aware that this is a highly speculative investment.

The post What’s going on with Manchester United shares? appeared first on The Motley Fool UK.

Five-year performance

If I had invested in the Premiership football club five years ago, today I’d be up 6%. But that belies the depressed nature of the stock for the large part of that half decade. And, although the club is listed on the US stock exchange, and is denominated in dollars, it doesn’t actually make a difference as the pound is flat against the dollar over five years.

So if I had invested £1,000 five years ago, today my stock would be worth £1,060. This represents £12 a year annualised. Obviously, it’s better than seeing the value of my investment go down, but it’s clearly disappointing. The club doesn’t pay a dividend either.

Investing in football

Investing in publicly traded football clubs offers the opportunity to gain exposure to the sports and entertainment industry while potentially benefiting from the financial performance and growth of the club.

While that might sound interesting, they’re not you’re everyday investment. The profitability of football clubs can vary depending on various factors, including the club’s financial management, success on the field, revenue streams from broadcasting rights, sponsorship deals, ticket sales, merchandise, and player transfers.

However, it’s important to note that not all football clubs are consistently profitable, and some clubs may face financial difficulties due to factors like high player wages, heavy debt burdens, or limited revenue sources.

Of course, Manchester United isn’t an average club. It’s a huge brand with a huge global following. But its revenues can be impacted by missing out on Champions League qualification and missed Premier League television rights.

Has the boat already sailed?

The current Manchester United share price indicates a market value of $3.74bn (£2.9bn). Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani’s bid is reported worth £5.5bn and will see him take control of the current owning Glazer family stake and all the traded shares. As such, Sheikh Jassim’s bid values the 163,062,000 shares at $44 each, almost double the current share price, $22.62.

However, Sheikh Jassim isn’t the only bidder and Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s offer would not see him take control over the publicly traded shares. Having said that, Ratcliffe’s bid values the Glazer shares higher than the current share price of the listed shares. If successful, his bid may not positively influence the listed share price.

So certainly, if I believed Sheikh Jassim would be the winning bidder, I’d buy shares today! However, there’s plenty of risk here amid concerns he may be willing to walk away from the deal.

The post If I’d put £1,000 in Manchester United shares 5 years ago, here’s what I’d have now appeared first on The Motley Fool UK.

The following two years haven’t been straight forward on and off the pitch — mixed performances and an enduring takeover saga.

However, the share price currently sits at $23.48, representing a 62% increase. So if I had invested $1,000 in the US-listed football club two years ago, today I’d have $1,620.

The takeover

Naturally, takeovers can have a profound impact on share prices. For one, the buyer tends to pay a premium for the acquisition, in order to provide an incentive for the target company’s shareholders to approve the takeover.

After months of negotiations and bids, Qatari billionaire Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and British businessman Sir Jim Ratcliffe remain the frontrunners. It’s understood that Sheikh Jassim’s latest bid is around £5.5bn. That’s significant, because at this moment in time, the share price suggests the club is worth $3.9bn.

Vive Mukherjee — a chartered accountant and football finance analyst — believes the Sheikh’s offer is seeing him overpay by £2.5bn, with the club’s true value being between £3.4bn-£3.9bn.

However, the current share price doesn’t reflect the value of the bid because it’s not certain to go ahead. Moreover, Ratcliffe’s bid doesn’t include buying out the listed shares.

So these are the factors weighing on the share price. If I was certain that Sheikh Jassim’s bid would be accepted, I’d buy the stock today.

Valuing football clubs

One way of valuing a club is the Markham Multivariate Model, developed in 2013. It makes discounted cash flow calculations look simple. This is how it’s calculated.

However, I don’t think it’s perfectly fitted to elite level sport. It suggests, based on the club’s most recent full-year results, that Manchester United is worth about £857m. That’s far below the $7.4bn that the Glazer family are understood to want for the club.

The thing is, there are so many variables, especially in European football. One being relegation, another being qualifying for the Champions League. The rate of a competition’s growth is another consideration. As a competition, the commercial value of the Premier League has been surging, and will continue to soar. It’s undisputedly the best league to watch, the best league to play in, and the best league to sponsor.

I’ve been interested in buying shares in football clubs for a while, but not that many are listed. And, as I’m not sure Shiekh Jassim will win, I might have missed the boat with United. Another option in Borussia Dortmund. It hasn’t finished outside the top four in nine years, meaning its Bundesliga income is topped up by Champion League revenues.

Recently, the stock soared after a crucial win against Bayern Munich, only to collapse when it missed out on the league championship on goal difference. Where will the stock go next? Can the club perform without Jude Bellingham? Clearly, lots of questions, and football-related ones too. It might be an investment I make.

The post If I’d put $1,000 in Manchester United shares 2 seasons ago, here’s what I’d have now! appeared first on The Motley Fool UK.