Man City chairman makes statement as Blues record £78m profit and surge above United and Liverpool

Manchester City are the most-watched side in the Premier League and the most expensive brand - extending their lead over Manchester United and Liverpool in that particular metric.

That is according to the club's 2023/24 Annual report, which boasts a record £715m revenue - an increase of £2.2m from the previous year.

In the report, chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak hailed City's long-term off-the-pitch plan and paid tribute to owner Sheikh Mansour. City also reported an impressive £139m in profit on players, up on the previous year, and topping £400m in the last five years.

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City boasted huge digital numbers, and declared themselves the most-watched team in the Premier League with 694m viewers.

CEO Ferran Soriano cited a total brand valuation of £1.4billion by Brand Finance Football 50 - up seven per cent on the previous year to move further ahead of rivals Manchester United and Liverpool.

According to the valuation, City's brand is worth more than United (£1.1bn, up three per cent) and Liverpool (also £1.1bn, up two per cent).

The Blues say they have 184m followers on social media, with over 10m views of their content and 1.5billion engagements. That, they say, is proof of their off-field strategy working, while Al Mubarak and Soriano pointed to the club's achievements in the Premier League, Club World Cup, FA Youth Cup and in the Women's team as on-field successes.

"Our constant ambition to target and achieve the unprecedented is a mark of the organisation that we have become," Al Mubarak said in his statement. "On and off the field, our passion for