Man City paid over £5.5million in rent for the Etihad Stadium in 2021-22, sources have told Football Insider.
That is nearly double what they paid Manchester City Council for the first season following the renegotiation of the 250-year lease at the former Commonwealth Games arena in 2010-11.
In contrast to the previous arrangement which saw the council trouser a cut of City’s gate receipts, the club agreed to pay an annual flat fee of £2.95m that rises with inflation.
Football Insider understands that performance-related bonuses, payouts relating to the naming rights deal with Etihad, and the fall in the value of the pound mean that the total payout stood at approximately £5.5m last term.
That figure still represents superb value for money for the Abu Dhabi-backed club, who raked in £55m through the turnstiles in 2018-19, the last financial year on record not impacted by lockdowns.
City added 6,000 seats to the South Stand in 2015, taking capacity to 53,400 before they removed 1,100 front-row seats ahead of 2021-22 to make room for their double-sized perimeter advertising system.
Club chiefs have since announced plans for another expansion, this time of the North Stand, that will allow up to 60,000 spectators to watch the reigning Premier League champions.
The club will improve and expand the club’s corporate facilities as part of the revamp, and there are plans to add an on-site hotel.
That expansion will also mean the Etihad meets Uefa’s criteria to host a Champions League final.