Why AS Monaco has increased in value since Dmitry Rybolovlev took over in 2011
AS Monaco are well placed to be back on the podium at the end of the season (Photo © AS Monaco)
A 66% owner of AS Monaco since 2011, the Russian billionaire is prepared to consider takeover bids for the club he has put back on track since becoming its main shareholder.
Following reports in Les Echos on Sunday that Dmitry Rybolovlev had retained the services of investment bank Raine to work on plans to sell all or part of AS Monaco, the Russian billionaire’s spokesperson confirmed the news in a statement.
Advertising
“The majority shareholder of AS Monaco (the “Club”) has decided to commence a process to explore strategic alternatives for its stake in the Club after receiving unsolicited inbound interest. The majority shareholder has retained The Raine Group (“Raine”) to serve as its exclusive financial advisor on this matter. Raine has significant experience working with the world’s biggest football clubs on a range of assignments.
There can be no assurances that the strategic review will result in any transaction involving the Club and we do not intend to make any further announcements regarding the strategic review at this time.”
Record sales since 2011
This information was revealed during the season, when Dmitry Rybolovlev once again personally committed to reinvesting in the club to ensure its return to the Champions League.
Proof of this was given with the major investments made during the last transfer window, including €30 million for Folarin Balogun and €20 million for Denis Zakaria.
The ASM president was quickly and heavily involved in the club’s turnaround when he arrived in 2011 at a time when the club was in Ligue 2. Right from the start of his adventure, he helped AS Monaco make a swift return to Ligue 1 and win the French league title in 2017.
That was the culmination of a first cycle featuring massive investments by the ASM president, who pumped in almost 300 million euros during his first years at the helm of the Monegasque club.
It was a strategy that paid off, helping AS Monaco to regain its former glory, prior to a change of direction featuring a new sporting policy over the last few seasons: training and selling on talented young players, trained at the club or coming in as young recruits.
A lucrative sporting policy with record sales (Kylian Mbappé for €180 million, Aurélien Tchouaméni for €100 million, James Rodriguez for €75 million, Thomas Lemar for €72 million, Anthony Martial for €60 million, etc.), making AS Monaco one of the most profitable clubs in the world for several seasons.
New infrastructure
The club’s sporting ambitions remained intact throughout, with regular appearances in European competitions and even a place in the Champions League semi-finals in 2017, the year they won the French league title.
Although AS Monaco has been less successful on the domestic and European stage in recent seasons, the club has stepped up its training policy, with the inauguration of La Diagonale in 2022, a brand-new facility that is part of the club’s DNA – putting training front and centre of its strategy.
Once again, the decision has paid off, as AS Monaco now boasts a number of players from the academy (Ben Seghir, Akliouche, Magassa, Diop, etc.) and has had the second most profitable academy in France since 2014, with €325 million received over ten years thanks to the sales of Kylian Mbappé (€180 million), Benoît Badiashile (€38 million) and Sofiane Diop (€22 million).
In addition to La Diagonale, which is dedicated to its budding young players, AS Monaco has also been provided with an ultra-modern Performance Centre in 2021, agreed by Dmitry Rybolovlev and which he himself funded to the tune of €55 million.
These strategic investments have steadily increased the value of the club, which is now attracting a great deal of interest. Last year, the Russian businessman was reportedly approached by American investors, keen to invest in European football.
These indications of interest could give Dmitry Rybolovlev pause for thought in a buoyant market, with the recent sale of Chelsea for around €5 billion and Sir Jim Ratcliffe taking a 25% stake in Manchester United for €1.3 billion.
Champions League in the crosshairs
But before thinking about a possible sale and the arrival of a new owner, AS Monaco are fighting for a place in the European Cup at the end of the season, which is vital not only to the viability of their project, but also to the club’s value.
Having both arrived last summer to replace Paul Mitchell and Philippe Clément, Thiago Scuro, who has since been appointed the club’s general manager, and Adi Hütter, already seem to have proved their worth in the first half of the season.
Scuro had a globally successful first transfer window, featuring a great find (Singo), a promising young player (Balogun) and an experienced CV (Zakaria). Hütter with a resolutely attacking style of play, can currently boast the second-highest scoring attack formation in Ligue 1 (34 goals scored). Currently fourth in the league, two points off second place, AS Monaco have everything to play for in the second half of the season.
Everyone at the club has their eyes on the lucrative Champions League, a competition that has eluded Monaco since the 2018-2019 season and which could push ASM’s stock up that little bit further.