Forbes values Manchester United at £1.2bn

Manchester United fans may hate the Glazer family for saddling their club with hundreds of millions of pounds-worth of debt, but the Old Trafford outfit is still the world's most valuable club, and is worth £1.2bn according to Forbes.

The American business magazine says United is worth £333m more than second placed Real Madrid. And the valuation puts pressure on the Red Knights, the group of investors who are hoping to buy out the Glazers, to come up with the readies. They had estimated the club to be worth around £800m.

Three other Premier League clubs feature in the top 10. They are, unsurprisingly, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea. The Gunners come in third overall - a cynic might say that it is their default position in most competitions - with a value of £767m. Barcelona are fourth on the list.

Tottenham are just outside the top 10 in 12th place, and Newcastle and Manchester City are in 19th and 20th in the top 20.

Worringly for the Premier League in the light of the situation at Portsmouth, the magazine says that more than half of the debt in Europe's top divisions belongs to the Premier League.

Meanwhile, a group of Manchester United supporters calling themselves United Supporters for Change (USC) have obtained a list of 400 businesses that pay for hospitality at Old Trafford and published it on its website.

The USC describes itself as a "a non-violent direct action group"  and says it hopes the businesses will cut their ties with the Glazer family. ·