Manchester United could be on course for new owners with the Glazer family ready to consider a partial or full takeover of the football club.
The American owners hinted at an openness to sell Manchester United after a controversial 18-years at the helm, releasing a statement in November 2022 that revealed they were to ‘explore strategic alternatives’ regarding the future of the club.
It comes at a time when the bid to form a European Super League dramatically failed, Newcastle United subsequently forcing their way into a Champions League spot after their Saudi-backed takeover, plus Chelsea being purchased by Ted Boehly for a fee that has made the Glazers think that now is the time to cash in.
Prospective owners have been told they had until 21:00 GMT on Wednesday to submit a second revised bid, following on from discussions held in Manchester.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe (INEOS) was joined by Sheikh Jassim in submitting delayed second bids to buy the club. Both bids are believed to fall short of the Glazers’ £6 billion asking price.
Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol:
“If someone comes along and offers £6bn-£7bn, then the Raine Group and the Glazers look at that and say, ‘you know what, these people have made such a good bid, we’re going to give them exclusivity’. That means they get access to all the books, nobody else does, and they look to tie up a deal to sell the club to them.
“If that happens, Wednesday could be the beginning of the end. But what’s much more likely is that five bids, maybe as many as eight, will go in, and there’ll be a third stage of bidding as well. I think it’ll be whittled down again and this will keep on running for another few weeks.”
Future bids will need to overcome concerns over links with other European football clubs, as Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) own Paris St Germain, and Ineos already owning both Nice and Lausanne.
However, there is a real sense of optimism that the controversial tenure of the Glazers could finally be coming to an end.
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