A huge rise in Manchester United's shares have lead a surge in football stocks.

Chelsea shareholders have something to celebrate

After Manchester United confirmed takeover talks, shares leapt by more than a third to 217p from a closing price of 159p on Friday.

Now there is mounting speculation in the CIty that a bidding frenzy could engulf the football sector.

Analysts believe that rival media groups, desperate to compete with BSkyB, will rush to buy some of the Premiership's other top clubs.

If the deal goes ahead BSkyB will have a dominant position in British football, controlling the media rights to Premiership games as well as the country's leading club.

Leading scorers

Manchester United's Premiership rivals led the share price charge, with values rising across the board when the stock market opened.

• Shares in Chelsea rose more than 15% to 82.5p.

• Shares in Aston Villa rose more than 9% to 615p.

• Shares in Leeds Sporting, parent company of Leeds United, rose almost 12% to 14.25p.

• Shares in Tottenham Hotspur rose more than 6% to 64.25p.

• Shares in Newcastle United rose more than 9% to 68p.

Windfall for fans

The rise in share prices will bring a windfall to the hundreds of thousands of fans who own a part of their favourite clubs.

Fans who brought shares in Manchester United shares when the club floated seven years ago have seen the value of their investment multiply more than sixteen times.

Manchester United takeover talks has helped tackle the slide in football share prices

But football shares generally have been in the doldrums for the last eighteen months as investors have turned their backs on the sector.

In most cases shares are now trading at a lower price than when they floated on the stock market.

However the football sector could now explode into action.

Entrepreneur Alan Sugar is reported to be keen to sell his controlling stake in Tottenham Hotspur.

And Manchester United could find itself at the centre of a bidding war, with media giant Granada and Enic, the leisure group which has a string of international footballing interests, reported to be ready to enter the fray.