It has been suggested that a Manchester United takeover is ‘advanced’ as a new report has revealed the real bidder and a ‘whopping’ demand.
Earlier this week, Saudi government official Turki Al-Sheikh caused a stir by claiming that a Man Utd takeover is advanced, though he remained tight-lipped on the details of this proposal.
He said on X: ‘The best news I heard today is that Manchester United is now in an advanced stage of completing a deal to sell to a new investor – I hope he’s better than the previous owners.’
INEOS chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe is currently running Man Utd. He took control of footballing operations at Old Trafford at the start of 2024 by purchasing a 25% stake in the club for around £1.25bn.
Ratcliffe fended off competition from Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim to join Man Utd as the Glazer family eventually settled for a minority takeover.
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Ratcliffe has faced heavy criticism since joining Man Utd as he’s sanctioned a major cost-cutting programme and has targeted staff, fans and club legends.
The British billionaire has big plans for Man Utd as he wants to take the club to a new 100,000-seater stadium and win the Premier League by 2028.
However, recent revelations have indicated that Ratcliffe could be bought out and forced to leave Man Utd, with Al-Sheikh, who is responsible for the recent huge sporting events in Saudi Arabia, revealing on Thursday evening that he is “not the investor”.
“My yesterday’s post about Manchester United’s potential sale meant one thing: the club is in an advanced negotiation phase with a new investor,” Al-Sheikh said on X.
“Just to clarify, I am not the investor, nor are they from my nation. I’m posting this as a fan who wishes the deal to happen, though it might not necessarily happen.”
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Now, a report from talkSPORT claims the Glazer family have ‘set a whopping valuation for a bombshell takeover’, as the club is ‘still valued at in excess of £5bn’.
It is also noted that ‘United sources are in the dark’ over the claim from Al-Sheikh, but the group he is referencing ‘is believed to be UAE-based and several United legends have been approached about potentially investing’.
The report has also provided details on an important takeover ‘clause’.
They add:
‘The Glazers have already sold a minority stake to Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS group, but there is a clause in that dela meaning Ratcliffe would be forced to sell his shares or match any offer the American family accept from interested parties.
‘That so-called ‘drag-on’ clause became active in August.’