Premier League champions Leicester City could be on the verge of breaking into the top 20 richest clubs in the world following their title triumph, according to financial experts.
The Foxes were crowned champions on Monday night when Tottenham Hotspur drew 2-2 with Chelsea, meaning they were seven points clear of the north Londoners with just two games left to play.
Their triumph, having been 5000-1 outsiders at the start of the season, could well see them become one of the top 20 richest clubs in the world with added revenue from their finish in the top flight and their participation in the Champions League.
It had previously been suggested Leicester will earn £150 million through winning the Premier League title.
A growth in the fanbase will also add more marketing revenue in terms of sales of products worldwide and even a greater clamour for matchday tickets.
Tim Bridge of Deloitte expects them to enter the top 20 bracket in the coming future should they enjoy a relatively successful Premier League campaign while remaining competitive in the Champions League.
“This year alone, we’d expect that they will receive between £30-50m more as a result of just winning the league and their finishing position being first, compared to the 14th it was last year,” Bridge told Sky News. “And that is notwithstanding the fact that, potentially, commercial agreements that they hold will have bonuses and uplifts as a result of them winning the League.
“But the real financial carrot is next season. If Leicester continue their strong domestic performance and stay up near the top of the League, while also competing in the Uefa Champions League, they can expect a pretty significant revenue increase.
“If that happens, we’d expect Leicester to become a fixture in our Deloitte football money league, which ranks the top 20 clubs globally in terms of revenue.”
Rob Wilson, a financial expert for Sheffield Hallam University, has also predicted that the Foxes may earn an additional £50 million from their participation in the Champions League, even if they failed to make it to the knockout stages.
European football could also offer a major boost to the club’s commercial leverage and may be worth another £50m, Wilson has predicted, giving them a windfall of up to £100m, plus the £30m they’re expected to receive from the Premier League.
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