Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Manchester United each close to €3bn in total value (Forbes)

Real Madrid CF (Liga BBVA, €2.87bn value), FC Barcelona (Liga BBVA, €2.78bn) and Manchester United FC (Barclays Premier League, €2.72bn) are all approaching the €3bn mark in overall club value, according to annual ranking of the Top 20 most valuable football clubs published by the American business magazine Forbes on 06/05/2015. This is the 12^th time Forbes has created this Top 20 value ranking, and Real Madrid has been top of the list for the past three years (2015, 2014, and 2013).

Notably, the value of Premier League clubs in the Top 20 has increased significantly, with Manchester City FC (€1.21bn) and Chelsea FC (€1.2bn) nearly doubling in value, according to Forbes. 2013-14 was the first season of the 2013-2016 cycle of the Premier League audiovisual rights, the value of which (€2.2bn per season) is 70% higher than the 2010-2013 cycle.

The Premier League now accounts for 8 of the 20 clubs in the ranking, up from 6 in 2014. The English first division is followed by the Serie A TIM (4 clubs), the Liga BBVA and the Bundesliga (3 clubs each), then Ligue 1 and the Turkish Süper Lig…