Manchester United will receive almost £40 million in Europa League prize money if they progress to the final in Stockholm on May 24 -- a figure which would eclipse their earnings from last season's unsuccessful Champions League campaign.
United go into Thursday's semifinal decider against Celta Vigo at Old Trafford with a 1-0 advantage from last week's first-leg in Spain courtesy of Marcus Rashford's second-half winner.
And progression to the final by Jose Mourinho's team would help the club soften the financial blow of missing out on participating in the Champions League this season, sources have told ESPN FC.
United, who will reveal their third quarter financial results on May 16, received £34.4m from the Champions League pot following their group-stage elimination under Louis van Gaal last season, plus a further £3.4m after reaching the round of 16 of the Europa League.
But with a place in the final against either Ajax or Lyon now in sight, United stand to top up this season's earnings by €6.5m (£.5.5m) by winning the competition or €3.5m (£2.95m) if they end up as losing finalists.
Liverpool received £34.2m in Europa League prize money last season as a result of their progression to the final, where they lost to Sevilla in Basel, and United have already earned a similar amount by reaching the semifinals.
The money United stand to receive will diminish the impact of failing to play in this season's Champions League, but the earnings on offer in that competition continue to dwarf those in the Europa League.
Leicester City are expected to receive £66m in prize money following their run to the quarterfinals, while Manchester City banked £75.8m last season after making it to the semifinals for the first time in the club's history.