There has been a lot of news around Manchester United since the start of the World Cup. While many have expected this period to be calm, the case has been quite the opposite. Cristiano Ronaldo has been sacked by the club and is now a free agent, ready to choose his next move after the big tournament in Qatar. But now came the news the majority of fans welcomed – the Glazer family is ready to sell Manchester United, as the media report on their eagerness to get rid of their profitable investment and leave it to someone else.
According to a report from the Telegraph, the Glazers have been actively exploring the potential sale of the club since the summer and it is anticipated that some of the parties who bid for Chelsea could come to the table. The owners would reportedly listen only to offers in excess of 5 billion pounds, but probably looking for a price between 6 and 7 billion pounds. Since this ‘genie’ came out of the bottle, many new details have been published by various media.
According to Manchester Evening News, Lord Jim O’Neill, former Goldman Sachs boss, would consider putting a consortium together to try and buy Man United. However, he would only get involved if the chances of success were strong and the Glazers lowered their ‘unrealistic’ demands. Among others, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has also renewed interest in buying the Red Devils, but according to reports, he would be wary of overpaying for United and that he would have to expect the investment to pay off or increase significantly in value after three years. Apparently, Ratcliffe says he always puts business logic before passion.
The Daily Mail also wrote that these news about Man United could worry Fenway Sports Group and Liverpool. The owners of the Merseyside team are concerned that the sale of United could present a problem for their plans, due to certain interested parties possibly switching their plans towards United. With United being such a commercial giant which has been far away from winning the trophies, it could be an interesting investment for many and reportedly, there is some interest from the behemoths like Facebook and Amazon.
Some media have even mentioned the possibility of Investment Corporation of Dubai to be in the running to buy the club. Considering they are part of the sovereign infrastructure of the state, with all the money coming through the state apparatus, this would not be such a good move for United. They would ultimately be owned by the United Arab Emirates, similarly to Manchester City, which could potentially mean even more protests by the fans. Obviously, any move has to be sanctioned by the Premier League, but considering the Saudi Arabia has recently managed to buy Newcastle United, investments from Dubai would mean even more anger among many Man United fans.
Whatever might be the case and whoever comes in after the Glazers, Man United fans will be happy to see their backs. Since their arrival in 2005 they have incredibly indebted the club, took the profits for their pockets and managed the club through a steep decline in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
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