Rooney staying at Man Utd as big money Chinese move fails to materialise
February 24 – England captain Wayne Rooney has ended talk of a possible move to China saying he wants to remain at Manchester United.
Finance
Chinese march on the Saints gets a rival second column
By Paul Nicholson
February 23 – Chinese interest in acquiring Premier League Southampton looks to have doubled with a reported £246 million bid from materials giant Amer International and CITIC Securities to rival the Lander Sports Development bid of £200 million that was rejected by the club’s owner Katarina Liebherr.
Chinese on verge of completing €740m AC Milan buy
February 22 – The long awaited completion of the sale of Italy’s AC Milan to a group of Chinese investors looks now to be set for March 3.
Monaco eye stake in Belgium’s Cercle Brugge as a development club
By Samindra Kunti
February 21 – French club Monaco have made an offer to buy a majority stake in Belgian First Division B club Cercle Brugge.
Man Utd revenues boosted by jump in TV and match day monies
By Paul Nicholson
February 9 – Broadcast and match-day revenues have driven another set of improved Manchester United financial results with revenue of £157.9 million for the quarter ending December 31, a £24 million increase on the same quarter in 2015. For the sixth month period Man Utd are up almost £21 million on the comparable 2015 figure, to £278.1 million.
Celtic cash in at the double on Champions League group stages as they aim for treble
February 8 – Scottish giants and runaway league leaders Celtic almost doubled their revenue for the first half financial period to end December 2016 to £61.2 million. This is an increase of £31.4 million on the 2015 figure, the reward for qualifying for the big money group stages of the Champions League.
January transfer window breaks records as Premier League shows €51m gain
February 7 – The January transfer window may have seemed quieter than previous years but it still broke records with the CIES Football Observatory data showing clubs in the five major European championships having invested a record €742 million on new players, beating the previous record of €523 million set in 2011.
Media giant A+E buys stake in NWSL in the US
February 3 – Media group A+E Networks has bought a stake in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) in the US which will see its women’s entertainment brand Lifetime become a sponsor of the league in a three-year deal beginning in April. A+E will will also launch a joint venture company – NWSL Media – to market commercial rights.
Report says clubs should not rule out public floats as a financial tool
February 2 – Raising money on public stock markets with a float of club shares was a popular financial tool for clubs up until the early 2000s when it went out of fashion. But how far does their on-pitch performance relate to the stock price?
China syndrome? PL clubs recoup more from other leagues than they spent in Jan transfer window
By David Owen
February 1 – The magic of amortisation means that top football clubs have long been used to their transfer dealings mitigating bottom-line losses or, especially in more recent times, augmenting profits. But to register a gain in cash terms, without spreading the cost of new signings over the length of their contracts, is much more unusual.
Sponsorship spend forecast to top $62.8bn in 2017, with Asia leading the growth
By Paul Nicholson
January 31 – Spending on sponsorship globally is forecast to increase to $62.8 billion in 2017, according to IEG’s 32nd annual forecast of sponsorship growth. This would be a jump of 4.2% on the $60.1 billion spent in 2016.
China’s Suning eyes up Belgium’s Mouscron with €9m bid
January 31 – Chinese conglomerate Suning Group has made a €9 million offer to acquire Belgian top flight club Royal Mouscron-Péruwelz.
Lander’s £200m deal for Saints still on, but Chinese money is struggling to get over the wall
By Paul Nicholson
January 27 – The timing could not have been better. Just as Southampton were celebrating their EFL Cup semi-final win over Liverpool, so Chinese stadium constructors turned would-be club owners Lander Sports Development, were announcing to the financial markets that they had agreed a deal for the English south coast club.
Transfer spending report charts speed of China’s ambition and the power of English clubs
January 27 – Eye-watering figures have been released by FIFA which show exactly why Chinese authorities have agreed to reign in spending, impose restrictions on foreign players and help local talent develop.
San Diego group sets sights on MLS franchise unveiling site plan for $200m stadium
January 26 – San Diego, which is pitching for a franchise in the expanding MLS, could be getting a 20-30,000 capacity new stadium costing $200 million as part of $1 billion redevelopment of the Qualcomm Stadium property.