Manchester United will kick off its stock market flotation today in a move which could value the club at more than £2 billion.
The club, bought by the Glazer family in 2005 for about £800m will offer 16.7 million shares, equal to a 10% stake.
These are set to price later at between £10-12 before listing on the New York Stock Exchange today.
United, which claims to have a global fan base of about 660 million and has won a record 19 league titles, would be valued at £2.1 billion at the top range.
The US-based Glazer family, which is set to make about £90m from the flotation, failed to garner sufficient demand in previous efforts to sell shares on exchanges in Hong Kong and Singapore.
The remaining proceeds raised in the initial public offering will be used to pay down some of the 134-year-old club's debt, which was last reported to be around £423m.
Although the listing has been planned for some time, the Glazer family originally claimed all the proceeds would go towards United's debt, angering fans. A successful IPO would reportedly result in investors owning 42% of the shares available but only carrying voting rights of 1.3%.
Earlier this month, a leading Manchester United fans' group called for a boycott of the club's expanding portfolio of sponsors in protest at the planned flotation.
