JUST IN: Manchester united has been ranked the third most valuable FC club in the world

Despite the turmoil of the post-Ferguson era, Manchester United is ranked the third most valuable football club in the world, trailing only Real Madrid and Barcelona, with the Glazers set for a £3.9BILLION windfall if they wish to sell.

Forbes ranks Manchester United as the third most valuable football club in the world.

With the turbulence of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era having a significant impact on performance on the pitch, many believed it was only a matter of time before that drop in value was reflected in the club’s value.

However, its value appears to have been protected further with Forbes ranking the club as one of the top three most valuable football clubs on the planet and one of the top 20 sports teams globally.

The Glazer-owned club has been valued at £3.9billion by the American business magazine, falling just below Real Madrid’s £4.4bn and Barcelona’s £4.3bn valuations.

With talk abound that the Glazers could soon cash in on their asset amid a turbulent period for their ownership in which supporters have turned en masse, it is clear that they would be set for a significant windfall should they decide to sell.

The American family bought the club for around £790m in 2005, ensuring they would be set for a healthy profit on their investment if they were to sell today

United has seen its value rise by 24 percent in the last five years with performances on the pitch not impacting its general market value.

Real Madrid has seen its stock rise by 42 percent across the same period while Barcelona’s has risen by 39 percent.

Despite the Premier League’s overall financial dominance of the global footballing landscape, the two Spanish giants are still considered the formative clubs in terms of value worldwide

With Chelsea recently breaking the record for being the most expensive sports team ever when it was sold to Todd Boehly and Clearlake for £4.25bn, it is believed United would exceed that price should it be sold.

Liverpool is the next highest ranked English football club, valued at £3.8bn. Their astonishing transformation under Jurgen Klopp is reflected in the fact that the value of the club has risen by an astonishing 197 percent since 2017.

The top 20, meanwhile, is largely dominated by American football teams which continue to lead the field for the most valuable sporting assets.

Dallas Cowboys and the New England Patriots, owned by Jerry Jones and Robert Kraft, respectively, lead the table in first and second. The Cowboys are valued at an eye-watering £6.8bn while Kraft’s side is valued at £5.5bn.

The rest of the top five is made up of the Stan Kroenke-owned Los Angeles Rams (£5.3bn), baseball giants New York Yankees (£5.1bn), and the New York Giants (£5.1bn).

Forbes’ list reflects the financial clout of the world’s most prominent sports teams. Sport has such a high value that the combined value of the teams is in the hundreds of billions of dollars.

Bayern Munich and Manchester City are ranked 22nd and 23rd, respectively, with valuations of £3.66 billion and £3.6 billion. Over the last five years, the value of the city has increased by 102 percent.

Despite the fact that Boehly and Clearlake paid only in the spring, Chelsea maintains its position in the top 50. According to Forbes, they are worth £2.67 billion.