Man Utd takeover: Glazer ‘premium sale’ price revealed as ‘insider’ drops verdict on ‘advanced’ deal

According to reports, the Glazer family have already set a Manchester United ‘sale’ price amid interest from Saudi Arabia.

At the start of 2024, INEOS chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe purchased a 25% stake in Man Utd to become a co-owner. As part of this deal, he took control of footballing operations at Old Trafford.

Ratcliffe has since increased his stake to around 29% by injecting further cash into the Premier League giants, but he is still far from being their majority stakeholder.

His arrival was initially met with huge positivity as it reduced the Glazer family’s control at Old Trafford, though his popularity has swiftly declined as he’s made enemies by sanctioning a brutal cost-cutting programme to balance the books.

Ratcliffe has alienated himself by treating staff and fans poorly, while he has also been criticised over his terrible decision-making regarding Ruben Amorim, Erik ten Hag and Dan Ashworth.

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Now, Saudi government official Turki Al-Sheikh has boldly claimed that the Red Devils are on the brink of being sold.

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.’

Al-Sheikh is the chairman of the General Entertainment Authority and has become one of the most powerful men in sport as he’s responsible for some of the huge events taking place in Saudi Arabia.

The 44-year-old has also stepped into football as he’s previously been the owner of Egyptian club Pyramids and Spanish side Almeria, while he is currently in talks with Man Utd over their potential involvement in the Riyadh Season Cup.

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A new report from The Mirror has revealed ‘how much the Glazers would want to sell to Saudi Arabia’, with ‘offers of more than £5bn’ to be ‘considered’.

Man Utd’s value on the stock market is only £2bn, but Al-Sheikh ‘would have to start the bidding at around £5.2billion to stand a realistic chance of persuading the Glazers to sell up’.

The report adds.

‘The Glazers would demand a huge premium, which reflects a possible increase in the value of United in the future. This would take into account how much United might be worth if the club completes plans to build a new state-of-the-art stadium.

‘And one option open to the Glazers is to sell part of their 48.9 per cent stake in United, in return for some significant investment from Saudi to help fund the building of the new stadium.’

Football Insider, meanwhile, have claimed that an ‘insider’ reckons ‘any potential new Man Utd investor is unlikely to be based in the Middle Eastern country’.

Regarding Al-Sheikh’s ‘advanced’ deal claim, the report added: ‘An expert in the Saudi sports market has told Football Insider Al-Sheikh’s claim is being treated purely as speculation rather than fact at this moment in time.’