Manchester United debt reaches £1.15bn after £90m in additional borrowing

Manchester United have increased their borrowing by a net £90m since 30 June, taking their overall debt to about £1.15bn, according to BBC Sport. A detailed filing to the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday also disclosed £191.7m in summer player spending, a figure higher than the combined fees announced for three signings.

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BBC Sport's Simon Stone reported that United drew £120m from their revolving credit facility in three instalments, on 29 July, 31 July and 28 August. The club then repaid £30m on 21 September. Those transactions account for the £90m net increase in borrowing since the end of the financial year covered by their latest annual accounts.

The overall debt figure comprises several separate obligations. Historic debt stands at £578m, while £200m is outstanding under the revolving credit facility. Another £375m is owed in transfer fees. The additional stock-exchange disclosure followed Wednesday's release of United's accounts for 2025-26, which ran to 30 June and already showed total debt above £1bn despite cost-cutting measures introduced by minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

United's summer arrivals included Andrey Santos from Chelsea on 13 July, Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa the following day and Carlos Baleba from Brighton on 25 August. According to the BBC, the fees stated when those transfers were announced totalled £153m. The newly disclosed spending figure is therefore £38.7m higher, but the report did not establish where that additional money had been spent. The BBC said it had approached the club for comment.

Outstanding transfer fees have nevertheless fallen from the £447m recorded in the 2024-25 accounts to £375m, a reduction of £72m. That decrease concerns the transfer-fee balance rather than the full debt total, which also includes historic borrowing and the revolving facility. The accounts set out a repayment schedule extending beyond the current year.

Of the outstanding transfer fees, £104.8m falls due between one and two years, with a further £51.9m payable between two and five years. The remainder is due within the next 12 months. United also stated that payments relating to their latest transfers must be made within five years, according to the BBC report.