Manchester United are facing a bill of around £50 million after setting an unwanted club record that stretches back to World War I.
United’s season has left them with a growing list of costs, and one of the biggest has now been revealed: a significant payout is due because the club are set to miss out on Champions League football again.
That shortfall has financial consequences. It has been revealed that United will owe a substantial sum linked to clauses in player contracts, with the total understood to be about £50m.
The figure comes as United’s poor campaign has also pushed them into unwanted history. Results and performances have left them outside the positions required to return to Europe’s top competition, something that has not happened this often at the club since the era of World War I.
For a side built to compete at the top of the Premier League and in Europe, missing out on the Champions League carries a sporting hit and now a clear financial one too. The cost is expected to arrive alongside other pressures at Old Trafford as the club review plans for the next season.
