The Glazers are prepared to sell Manchester United. A number of companies and billionaires have been rumoured to be interested in buying the club but who could the potential new owners be?
1. Sir Jim Ratcliffe
With Sir Jim Ratcliffe preparing a bid to buy Manchester United and take over from the Glazers, we look back over his ownership of Ligue 1 side OGC Nice, how the ownership came about, what improvements have been made, club performance, money spent and everything in between.
2. Apple
Apple are expressing an interest in buying United according to reports following the Glazers statement confirming their intention to sell.
Is this just a newspaper taking an opportunity to throw Apple’s name in the hat? It could well be Glazers aimed for with the wording of their statement when they said United’s ‘global community of 1.1 billion fans and followers’ was the core strength of the club.
3. Amancio Ortega
Amancio Ortega, the owner of the Inditex empire that owns the fashion chain Zara, is interested in buying United. Ortega is worth $61.3billion, and is understood to have informed senior executives of his interest in United.
4. Dubai
Given Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi’s involvement in European football, it isn’t at all outside the realms of possibility that Dubai will follow.
Any deal is expected to cost a huge amount with recent reports suggesting that the Glazers could demand anywhere in the region of £6-£8 billion.
United on Tuesday have confirmed in a statement that they were “exploring strategic alternatives” for the club, which might involve outside investment or even a permanent sale.
“Manchester United plc, one of the most successful and historic sports clubs in the world, announces today that the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) is commencing a process to explore strategic alternatives for the club.” they said in a statement.
