A stake in Manchester United may be sold — but probably not to a certain eccentric billionaire.
The Glazer family — Man United’s owner — is considering offloading a minority stake in the team, according to Bloomberg.
- The family, which also owns the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is not ready to cede control of the team, which could be valued at $6 billion.
- Britain’s richest man, Jim Ratcliffe, who made a late bid for Chelsea, confirmed Wednesday his interest in purchasing a stake in Man United and eventually owning the team.
- Former team director Michael Knighton is preparing an unsolicited bid for the team, saying “we have an inept and quite frankly useless ownership.”
On Tuesday, Tesla founder Elon Musk tweeted “I’m buying Manchester United ur welcome.” Shares in the team spiked 7.6% on Wednesday before partly settling down.
Musk — the world’s richest man with a net worth of $269.2 billion, per Forbes — clarified about four hours later that the tweet was meant to be a joke.
Fan Fury
The Glazers have faced regular protests from fan groups, who are planning another one prior to the team’s match against Liverpool on Monday.
Fans have cited a lack of investment in the team and its Old Trafford Stadium, as well as misguided management.
Last in the Premier League after an 0-2 start, Man United is reportedly pursuing Chelsea and USMNT forward Christian Pulisic.
