The Glazer family is reportedly open to selling a minority stake in Manchester United amid the growing unrest surrounding the ownership of the club – but the Americans want £5billion to cede some control of the Red Devils.
Discussions have already begun in regards to bringing in a new investor at Old Trafford, although details are few and far between at this early stage. As a result, the identities of the people involved are yet to be revealed.
This is a big step in the Glazer family’s running of the club, but they are not yet prepared to hand over full control of Man United. In fact, according to Bloomberg, there is no certainty they will even sell the minority stake that has allegedly been offered to investors.
Meanwhile, The Independent claim that multiple meetings have taken place between financial titans with huge net-worth and brokers since May of this year. This stems from the fact that there is a brewing consensus among those in the know that the Red Devils are available to purchase for the right price.
Ineos founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe is thought to be the bookmakers’ favourite considering the British billionaire already boasts experience when it comes to owning a football club after his company bought Ligue 1 outfit OGC Nice. Ineos has kept quiet over whether meetings with a view to buying United were held.
Tesla owner Elon Musk caused quite the stir in the early hours of Wednesday morning when he declared to his millions of Twitter followers that he was buying United. Just four hours later, the billionaire tech titan confessed that he was joking.
Industry sources believe that a deal that would undoubtedly become the biggest ownership takeover in global sports history is now a realistic prospect within the next two years. There are multiple factors that are thought to have inspired the Glazers to soften their stance to sell.
Disgruntled United fans may actually have Chelsea owner Todd Boehly to thank. The American spearheaded Clearlake Capital Group’s acquisition of the Blues for a fee that shocked many – including United’s owners.
Boehly’s consortium forked out €5.24bn for the west London-based outfit, which in turn made those at the top of the Red Devils sit up and take notice.
Old Trafford has become an increasingly toxic place in recent months as United supporters have grown tired of the way their club is being run.
Red Devils supporters have staged countless protests, with one being planned for this coming weekend’s clash with bitter rivals Liverpool.
United club legend Gary Neville spoke out on Sky Sports about the Glazers following the 4-0 defeat by Brentford, which leaves the Red Devils bottom of the Premier League.
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