Manchester United have reported an annual loss for the seventh successive year, taking the club’s combined losses to £444m since 2019.

The financial results were released as it emerged United are raising revenue by selling small clumps of grass from the Old Trafford pitch to fans. United relaid the playing surface for the first time in 14 years this summer, and an email to fans has offered them the chance to buy 7cm x 7cm clumps of turf for £125.

The £43m pre-tax loss for 2025-26 is a significant increase on the £33m for the previous 12 months, with compensation paid to the sacked manager Ruben Amorim a contributory factor along with the decision to increase the club’s borrowing facility by £93m to help fund the redevelopment of Old Trafford.

United’s continued losses come despite record revenue of £677.6m – up 1.7% on the previous 12 months – and the implementation of a major cost-cutting regime by Sir Jim Ratcliffe under which hundreds of staff have lost their jobs.

In discussing United’s results on an investor call the chief executive, Omar Berrada, said the club’s summer transfer window, during which they spent £155m on three players, had been planned with “financial sustainability in mind” in an indication that the budget will continue to be tight for the manager, Michael Carrick.

That is underlined by the fact that United’s wage-bill dropped to £301m, down 3.6% on the previous year, more than £100m lower than Manchester City’s.

While United reported operating profits of £22.6m for the 12 months to 30 June 2026 the increase in revenue was more than offset by the cost of financing the club. Net finance costs more than tripled to £69.2m from £21.2m in the previous year, partly owing to foreign-exchange movements, and the club refinanced several loans, increasing their net debt from £471.9m to £577.6m.

United sources have said the refinancing provided funding for the £63.5m purchase of a plot of land next to Old Trafford required to build their proposed new 100,000 capacity stadium, the first major investment in a complex project that could end up costing more than £2bn.

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Berrada said the results demonstrated “the underlying strength of our business, particularly in a season without European football” and said: “This shows the direct impact of the work we have been doing over the past two years. It also proves Manchester United’s enduring popularity and commercial strength. While these results confirm that we are on the right trajectory, we will continue to take a disciplined approach to ensure our finances remain sustainable.”

United are confident their financial outlook will improve over the next 12 months owing to the club’s return to the Champions League and the start of increased sponsorship deals with the training-kit partner Betway and shirt-sleeve partner SumUp, which will bring in £20m and £22m a year respectively. The club is forecasting revenue of between £740m and £760m for 2026-27.