Manchester City join Real Madrid in Australia tournament

Sydney: English Premier League champions Manchester City will join European champions Real Madrid at next year`s International Champions Cup in Melbourne, organisers said on Friday.

Manchester City is the second team announced for the three-team tournament to take place at the 100,000-capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground from July 18-24.

The third team for the series has yet to be confirmed, but reports have linked Italian Serie A side Inter Milan.

Owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan has invested over £1 billion ($1.5 billion) since acquiring Manchester City in 2008.

Since Mansour`s arrival, City have won two Premier League titles, in 2012 and 2014, as well as the 2011 FA Cup and this year`s League Cup.

Manchester City also have a stake in Australia`s A-League after the club`s Abu Dhabi-based owners purchased and re-branded Melbourne Heart as Melbourne City early this year.

"We are looking forward, once again, to being a part of the tournament," Ferran Soriano, chief executive of Manchester City, said in a statement.

"We are particularly excited to be visiting Melbourne, which is home to our sister club, Melbourne City."

With the securing of Real Madrid and Manchester City`s huge box-office appeal, organisers are hoping to build on the local appetite for top European clubs after a crowd of 95,000 watched English Premier League Liverpool`s 2-0 win over Australia`s Melbourne Victory at the MCG last year.

Ten-time European champions Real Madrid were named FIFA`s Club of the 20th Century and are worth an estimated 500 million euros ($618 million).