David Beckham and Gary Neville have officially taken full control of Salford City FC, completing a major takeover alongside a new investment consortium and setting ambitious sights on Championship football within five years.
The move, first reported by The Athletic, sees Beckham and Neville raise between $15–20 million with backing from former Standard Chartered chair Lord Mervyn Davies and businessman Declan Kelly.
🚨 EXCL: David Beckham + Gary Neville complete takeover of Salford City with new consortium. Raised $15-20m to invest as group target Championship within 5yrs. Other Class of 92 members no longer shareholders but will have #SalfordCity roles @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/Fznf0DGOvv
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) May 8, 2025
The new ownership group has bought out fellow Class of ’92 members Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Phil Neville, who are no longer shareholders.
However, the quartet will continue to play a role at the club in areas including technical direction, football operations, recruitment, and the Salford City Foundation.
Beckham also announced the move on his Instagram account.
Since the Class of ’92 took charge in 2014, Salford have climbed from the lower leagues into the English Football League, earning four promotions in five seasons.
But progress has stalled in League Two, where the club just missed out on a play-off spot this season, finishing eighth — one point shy of seventh place.
With fresh funding and a restructured leadership model, the consortium’s goal is clear: a push for Championship status within the next half-decade.
The investment is expected to bolster infrastructure, recruitment, and commercial development at a club long seen as a project fuelled by the legacy of Manchester United’s golden generation.
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