By Dr Dan Plumley

29th Jan, 2023 | 11:57am

£642m Man City reveal has Barcelona ‘scrambling’ - expert

Barcelona and Real Madrid see the Super League as the “only way” of catching up to the commercial dominance of Man City and the Premier League.

That is the opinion of Dr Dan Plumley, who spoke exclusively to Football Insider about the financial shift that has seen England’s top flight become the financial powerhouse of global football.

The 2023 Deloitte Football Money League was released last Thursday (19 January), with Man City topping the list for a successive year after scooping £642m in revenue.

Spanish side Real Madrid placed second, while Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal all found spots in the top 10.

The list was the latest sign of Man City’s dominance, with the side only breaking into the top five for the first time back in 2015/16.

Plumley believes both Real Madrid and Barcelona are “scrambling” to catch up to their Premier League rivals and will turn to the Super League to do so.

“Within that Deloitte Money List, 11 of the 20 clubs are Premier League clubs which shows the power that the league has in the market,” Plumley told Football Insider.

“Real Madrid and Barcelona topped that list for a very long time in the early and mid-2000s, so the narrative has shifted firmly in favour of the Premier League now being the financial powerhouse.

“So it’s no surprise in that regard to see that both Real Madrid and Barcelona are still scrambling for the Super League to try and extend their revenue.

“They see it as the only way to catch up to Man City and the Premier League.“

In other news, Erling Haaland tipped for £176m exit as Man City release clause details emerge